ghorba غربة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ghorba” (غربة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning life abroad, expatriation.
Meanings
- life abroad, expatriation
- feeling of estrangement, loneliness
Usage
Ghorba means living away from home, especially abroad. The word is very present in the vocabulary of Tunisian emigration: people say fil ghorba for "abroad, in exile". It carries a strong emotional charge, made of nostalgia and hardship, and often comes up in songs and in conversations about the diaspora. It can also mean a feeling of isolation, even without any actual departure. A person living in this situation is a gharib or a mghareb. For an English speaker, "exile" is sometimes too political: "expatriation" or "life abroad" better convey the everyday, more ordinary sense.
Example
عرب في اوروبا 2011 : كيفاش تشوفوا العيشة فال غربة ؟
3rabfieurope2011: kifech tchoufou l3icha fi8al 5orba ?
“Arabs in Europe 2011: how do you see life abroad?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ghorba” but also “ghourba”, “8orba” and “ghurba”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.