fetna فتنة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“fetna” (فتنة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning discord, strife between people.
Meanings
- discord, strife between people
- sedition, public unrest
Usage
Fetna refers to discord that is deliberately sown between people, families or nations. The typical construction is 3mal fetna ("to sow discord") or y7eb ya3mel fetna ("he wants to stir up discord"). The word is used to reproach someone for fanning tensions, on social media as much as within a family. It is also found in the graver sense of unrest and division in society. The word is common in all registers. It does not carry the sense of "fitna" as seduction: in Tunisia it mostly refers to deliberately provoked discord.
Example
ما تعملش فتنة بين الخوة
ma ta3melch fetna bin el khwa
“Don't sow discord between the brothers.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “fetna” but also “fitna”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.