9ellet قلة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“9ellet” (قلة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning lack, shortage.
Meanings
- lack, shortage
- scarcity, small amount
Usage
In Tunisian, this word is used mostly in the construct state, pronounced 9ellet before a noun: 9ellet l-flous (lack of money), 9ellet l-ihtiram (lack of respect), 9ellet trbiya (lack of upbringing). The last two phrases often serve as a direct reproach: "hedhi 9ellet trbiya!", "that's rudeness!". The register is common and a little more formal than a simple negation with ma fammech. Pitfall: do not confuse it with 9olla, the clay jar, which is written the same way in Arabic but pronounced differently. Context and the vowel tell them apart.
Example
هذي قلّة احترام، ما تحكيش معايا هكّا
hedhi 9ellet i7tiram, ma t7kich m3aya hakka
“That's disrespect, don't talk to me like that.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9ellet” but also “9illa”, “9ella”, “gellet”, “9ellit” and “9olet”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.