7al9 حلق
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7al9” (حلق) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning mouth (colloquial).
Meanings
- mouth (colloquial)
- throat
- mouth, entrance (of a wadi)
Usage
In Tunisian, 7al9 commonly means the mouth, whereas in Standard Arabic it means rather the throat. 7ell 7al9ek, "open your mouth", is what you would hear at the doctor's, for example. Sakker 7al9ek, "shut up", is on the other hand decidedly rude. The word is also used for the opening of a place, as in 7al9 el wed, the mouth of a wadi, or in place names. It should not be confused with 7al9a, "ring, earring", nor with the verb 7la9, "to shave".
Example
حلّ حلقك نشوف سنّيك
7ell 7al9ek nchouf snik
“Open your mouth so I can see your teeth.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7al9” but also “hal9”, “7alq”, “7alg” and “halq”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.