madani مدني
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“madani” (مدني) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning civil, of civil society.
Meanings
- civil, of civil society
- civilian, non-military
- civic
Usage
An adjective borrowed from Standard Arabic, common in Derja in political, administrative and association vocabulary. It is heard mostly in fixed expressions: mojtama3 madani (civil society), 3isyan madani (civil disobedience), dawla madaniya (civil state, as opposed to religious or military), 7ala madaniya (civil status). For a person, it means a civilian as opposed to a soldier or police officer: lebes madani, "in plain clothes". The feminine is madaniya. The register is rather formal or media-style. In casual conversation, it appears mainly when talking about politics or administrative procedures.
Example
المجتمع المدني عاون برشا العايلات الفقيرة.
el mojtama3 el madani 3awen barcha el 3aylet el fa9ira.
“Civil society helped a lot of poor families.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “madani” but also “madeni”, “madany” and “madanii”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “madani” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “civil, relating to citizens”; “civilian, non-military”: madani in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “civil (as opposed to military)”; “civic”: madani in Algerian.