ikhtisas اختصاص
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ikhtisas” (اختصاص) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning specialty, field of study.
Meanings
- specialty, field of study
- specialty (of a restaurant)
- competence, jurisdiction
Usage
Ikhtisas comes from standard Arabic but is in common use in Tunisia. It is used mostly for studies: "chnowa ikhtisasek ?" (what are you studying?), for the field chosen at the baccalaureate or university, or for a doctor's specialty. It is also used for the specialty of a restaurant or a household, meaning a signature dish. In administration, it refers to what falls within a department's remit: "mouch ikhtisasna" (that's not our responsibility). The French word "spécialité" is also heard, especially in the city.
Example
شنوة اختصاصك في الفاك؟
chnowa ikhtisasek fel fac ?
“What are you studying at university?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ikhtisas” but also “ekhtisas”, “i5tisas”, “ikhtissas” and “e5tisas”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.