rogba رقبة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“rogba” (رقبة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning neck, nape.
Meanings
- neck, nape
- responsibility, conscience
- head (when counting people)
Usage
Rogba (pronounced with a g in Tunisia) means the neck. Figuratively, "fi rogbti" means "under my responsibility" or "on my conscience": "amana fi rogbtek" (I entrust it to you, you answer for it). One also says "dammou fi rogbtou" (his blood is on his conscience) to point to the person responsible. In a familiar register, the word is used to count people, like "heads" in English: "3achrin rogba" (twenty people). The plural is rgab.
Example
عندي وجيعة في رقبتي من البارح
3andi wjii3a fi rogbti mel bere7
“I've had a pain in my neck since yesterday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “rogba” but also “ragba”, “rguba”, “rakba” and “rogbti”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.