maqam مقام
Tunisian Derja · noun
“maqam” (مقام) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning rank, standing, respect.
Meanings
- rank, standing, respect
- saint's shrine
- musical mode (maqām)
Usage
Maqam refers first of all to a person's position and the respect owed to them: "3andou maqam" (he is respected), "na9as men maqamou" (he belittled him). It appears in the proverb "lkol maqam maqal" (every situation has its own words). Pronounced mqam, it also means the shrine of a saint, a place of visits and vows, often followed by the saint's name. Finally, musicians use it for the modes of Arabic music, notably in malouf. Context is usually enough to tell these meanings apart.
Example
ما تحكيش معاه هكّا، الراجل عندو مقامو.
ma ta7kich m3ah hakka, erajel 3andou maqamou.
“Don't talk to him like that, that man deserves respect.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “maqam” but also “mqam”, “makam”, “m9am” and “ma9am”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.