ba7th بحث
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ba7th” (بحث) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning research paper, presentation.
Meanings
- research paper, presentation
- search, act of searching
Usage
A word of standard Arabic origin, fully integrated into Tunisian speech. It is pronounced ba7th and is used mainly in school and university contexts: a pupil or student has a ba7th to hand in, that is, a presentation or a dissertation. You say 3mal ba7th (to do research). For the concrete act of looking for an object or a person, everyday language prefers the verb lawwej (to look for). Ba7th is then more formal, reserved for investigations or administrative searches. The plural is ab7ath.
Example
لازمني نكمل البحث متاعي قبل الخميس
lezemni nkammel el ba7th mte3i 9bal el khmis
“I have to finish my paper before Thursday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ba7th” but also “b7th”, “ba7ath” and “bahth”. 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.