Moroccan Arabic

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Etymology

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The etymology depends on the contested origin of د (d, di, of), which is generally linked with Arabic ذِي (ḏī), but alternatively suggested to be related to Latin de.

Similar genitive particles are attested in Anatolian dialects of North Mesopotamian Arabic: ḏīl ~ ḏēl in the region of Mardin, dēl in Diyarbakır.

Representing an alternative opinion, Jeffrey Heath considers ديال (dyāl) a backformation from ديالو (dyālu, his) and ديالها (dyālha, dyāla, her), which he in turn derives from Vulgar Latin *di ellu and *di ella, from Classical de + illum, illa.[1]

Jamal Ouhalla suggested an origin in Andalusian Arabic, as a concatenation of the Latin de and Arabic ال (al-).[2]

Preposition

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ديال (dyāl) (feminine ديالة (dyālit-), plural دياول (dyāwil))

  1. Alternative form of د (d, di, of), used mostly with pronominal suffixes

Usage notes

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  • Some speakers do not inflect the word for gender or number.

Inflection

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Inflected forms of ديال
Base form ديال (dyāl)
Personal-pronoun-
including forms
singular plural
m f
1st person ديالي (dyāli) ديالنا (dyālna)
2nd person ديالك (dyālek) ديالك (dyālki) ديالكم (dyālkum)
3rd person دياله (dyālu) ديالها (dyālha) ديالهم (dyālhum)
Inflected forms of ديالة
Base form ديالة (dyālit-)
Personal-pronoun-
including forms
singular plural
m f
1st person ديالتي (dyālti) ديالتنا (dyālitna)
2nd person ديالتك (dyāltek) ديالتك (dyālitki) ديالتكم (dyālitkum)
3rd person ديالته (dyāltu) ديالتها (dyālitha) ديالتهم (dyālithum)
Inflected forms of دياول
Base form دياول (dyāwil)
Personal-pronoun-
including forms
singular plural
m f
1st person دياولي (dyāwli) دياولنا (dyāwilna)
2nd person دياولك (dyāwlek) دياولك (dyāwilki) دياولكم (dyāwilkum)
3rd person دياوله (dyāwlu) دياولها (dyāwilha) دياولهم (dyāwilhum)

Noun

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ديال (dyālm (plural دياول (dyāwil))

  1. (vulgar, not used without a pronominal suffix attached to it) penis
    راه ديالك كيبان.rāh dyālek kaybān.Your penis is visible.

References

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  1. ^ J. Heath: Moroccan Arabic, in C. Lucas & S. Manfredi (ed.): Arabic and contact-induced change, Berlin, 2020, p. 218. – Note that the author calls this an “admittedly unusual morphemic borrowing”.
  2. ^ The Origins of Andalusi-Moroccan Arabic and the Role of Diglossia