ostedha استاذة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ostedha” (استاذة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning female teacher, professor.
Meanings
- female teacher, professor
- ma'am (addressing a teacher)
Usage
Ostedha is the feminine of ostedh. It refers to a woman teaching at middle school, high school or university. For primary school, m3allma or "maîtresse" is used instead. Pupils also use it as a form of address: "ya ostedha". It is often placed before the first name: ostedha Ahlem. More broadly, it is used out of politeness for a woman lawyer or a woman with a degree, like "maître" in French. The plural is ostedhet. In conversation, it is sometimes shortened to "la prof". In Tunisian pronunciation, you hear "dh", not a "z".
Example
الأستاذة متاع الفرنسيس طيبة برشا
el ostedha mta3 el fransis tayba barcha
“The French teacher is very kind.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ostedha” but also “oustedha”, “ostadha”, “2ostedha” and “ostedh”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 2 is hamza (ء), a glottal stop.