ma3nawiyet معنويات
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ma3nawiyet” (معنويات) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning morale, state of mind.
Meanings
- morale, state of mind
Usage
The word ma3nawiyet is borrowed from standard Arabic but common in derja. It refers to a person's or group's morale: a team, soldiers, healthcare workers. It is used mainly in fixed expressions. One says erfa3 lma3nawiyet, "to boost morale", and lma3nawiyet tahet, "morale is at rock bottom". One also says lma3nawiyet fel 3ali, "morale is high". It is grammatically a plural, but translates as a singular in English. In casual conversation, many Tunisians simply say le moral, in French. Ma3nawiyet sounds a bit more serious, even journalistic.
Example
بعد الربحة، المعنويات متاع الفريق في العالي.
ba3d rab7a, el ma3nawiyet mta3 el feri9 fel 3ali.
“After the win, the team's morale is sky-high.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ma3nawiyet” but also “ma3nawiyat”, “maanawiyet”, “ma3naweyet” and “m3nawiyet”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.