nakhl نخل
Tunisian Derja · noun
“nakhl” (نخل) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning palm trees (collective).
Meanings
- palm trees (collective)
- date palms
Usage
Nakhl is a collective noun: it refers to palm trees in general, especially date palms. For a single tree, say nakhla, and to count a few, nakhlet. The word immediately evokes the Tunisian South, the oases of the Djerid (Tozeur, Nefta) and Gabès, but it is also used for the palms along avenues and in gardens. Note: the verb "nakhel", apparently from the same root, means "to sift". Context removes the ambiguity. A palm grove is called "ghaba" or "wa7a". The register is neutral.
Example
فما برشا نخل في توزر.
famma barcha nakhl fi tozeur.
“There are a lot of palm trees in Tozeur.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “nakhl” but also “nakhel”, “na5l” and “nakhla”. 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.