What is Tunisian Arabic?

Tunisian Arabic is a dialect of Arabic that is a form of written and spoken communication that is the native language (mother tongue) of the vast majority of citizens in the country of Tunisia.

(Here is the IBL list of Tunisian Arabic translated words & phrases (Over 5,000 principal words & over 20,000 sentences translated — IBL: Tunisian Arabic list))

Tunisian speakers, when speaking about Tunisian Arabic, most commonly call it Derja / دارجة which means something akin to “Everyday language”. Other ways of referencing Tunisian Arabic are tounsi / تونسي, derja tounsiya / الدارجة التونسيّة and El lahja el tounseya / اللهجة التونسيّة. El lahja means “dialect”, and aside from Magreb region Arabic dialects, is the term used most to describe Arabic dialects. (Egyptian Arabic, Lebanese Arabic, etc.)

Which term of the four above to use is situational: If in Tunisia, or speaking amongst Tunisians, and you say Derja, everyone will know you are referring to Tunisian Arabic. But note that Derja is also what Algerians, Libyans, & Moroccans use to describe their respective Arabic dialects. (see A note on Derja below). So given the situation, if Derja isn’t specific enough, Tounsi, Derja Tounsiya, or El lahja el tounseya can assist to create the specificity needed.

A note on Derja

The word Derja actually comes from Moroccan Arabic. Morrocans use the same word, Derja, to describe Moroccan Arabic. Overtime, Tunisians have followed suit. Derja is conventionally a Magrebi (as in the region) word.

IBL contributor, Aroua F., pronounces the four ways to say or write Tunisian Arabic listed above.

Derja:

Tounsi:

Derja tounsiya:

El lahja el tounseya:

Oral tradition

Historically, Tounsi was strictly an oral form of communication. It has been the dialect that families, friends, communities, etc. have most commonly spoken with each other for centuries in Tunisia.

It’s the form of communication that the mother and father speak to their children in. It’s what children, when playing out on the street, are saying and shouting to each other. It’s the dialect that adults use when they are ordering coffees or teas in a cafe. (Something like Ta3tini…? or Tnajem ta3tini…?—For more information on these phrases, see the IBL page “Can I have…?” in Tunisian Arabic in Tunisian Arabic) (Also, there is the IBL article: Speaking Tunisian Arabic at a restaurant)

So Tunisian Arabic is what is locally spoken, not systematically or officially learned. Even presently in the school system in Tunisia, Tounsi is not taught. All students learn Standard Arabic (The long form is Al lougha al 3arabeya al fos7a / اللغة العربيّة الفصحى, or in short, Fos7a / فصحى), French in Grade 3, and English (it’s been noted that it varies) starting in Grades 5-7.

Written communication

Today, Tunisian Arabic is written via either the Arabic or Latin script. In other words the same words can be written using the Arabic alphabet or letters that are derived from Latin. (most commonly modelled after French or English)

The first memory a Languages Contributor on the Ithaca Bound Languages project had of seeing Tunisian Arabic written was on Facebook.  In other words, she remembered a time that her and her family spoke Tounsi but she never saw it actually written down. And it was on Facebook that she started seeing other Tunisian Arabic speakers write the dialect for the first time.

Another IBL contributor explained basically because of the advent of social media and text messaging, the younger generations began writing on and using the platforms in Tounsi using the Latin script. And as the older generations began to adopt these platforms after the younger generations, they began writing Tounsi predominantly using the Arabic script. So it’s thought that, amongst the masses, Tounsi was first commonly written using the Latin script, and then later the Arabic script came into use as another common form. And even today there appears to be concensus that the older generations (not exclusively, but predominantly) write Tunisian Arabic using the Arabic script and the younger generations write the dialect using the Latin script.

This is a good way of understanding this important time in linguistic history: Tunisian Arabic is a local dialect of Arabic that people speak day-to-day. The school systems have historically not taught it. And over 30 years ago cell phones with text messaging capabilities and social networking websites didn’t exist. So although the dialect was certainly strong day-to-day (talking with friends, buying bread, etc.) its use was in oral communication and there was no platform or need for it to be written.

So, perhaps astonishingly, Tunisian Arabic, as a form of written communication publicly, is likely under 30 years old.

Using both scripts to write Tounsi

Below are five examples of Tunisian Arabic written in both the Latin and Arabic scripts with associated recordings:

“Good morning”:

Latin script — Sbe7 lkhir

Arabic script — صباح الخير

IBL Contributor, Amine. B., pronounces Sbe7 lkhir:

“How are you?:

Latin script — Chna7welek?

Arabic script — شنحولك؟

IBL Contributor, Samar H. pronounces Chna7welek?:

“House”:

Latin script — Dar

Arabic script — دار

IBL Contributor, Aroua F., pronounces Dar:

“Sunny”:

Latin script — Mochmes

Arabic script — مشمس

Aroua F. pronounces Mochmes:

“Dog”:

Latin script — (m) Kalb (f) Kalba

Arabic script — (m) كلب (f) كلبة

IBL Contributor, Nour E., pronounces Kalb & Kalba:

By this point you may be wondering why there are numbers in some of the words above. Essentially, using the Latin script, most (but not all) Tunisian Arabic speakers use numbers to represent certain letters that don’t have a reasonable equivalent (written or in pronunciation) using the Latin script or an associated alphabetical reference. (e.g., English or French) For more on this topic and to see the full list of numbers that are used as letters in Tunisian Arabic, see the IBL article: Numbers as letters in Tunisian Arabic.

A dialect or language

Most consider Tunisian Arabic a dialect of Arabic. A minority of people may consider it its own language because of the degree of difference it is from Fos7a / فصحى. Generally, on the topic of “Is a form of communication a language or dialect?”, it’s important to remember that to a reasonable degree, it’s an arbitrary question. When a form of communication becomes a language or is considered a dialect of another language is chosen by human beings. Classifying a language as a dialect or language is through selecting criteria and then observing if a form of communication meets that criteria or not.

We consider Tunisian Arabic a dialect of Arabic. Here are some points to consider:

• The same Arabic script and alphabet is used with only subtle variations (e.g., less diacritics are used in Tunisian Arabic than Fos7a)
• Tunisian Arabic conjugates its verbs identically to Fos7a / فصحى. For more information read the IBL guide: How verbs function in Tunisian Arabic
• Tunisian Arabic has the same adjective system as Fos7a / فصحى, with the exception that often in the plural it uses one plural spelling. Whereas, in Fos7a, two spellings always exist for plural words: for masculine and feminine forms.
• In the IBL catalogue are other Arabic dialects such as Lebanese Arabic. And although many from Lebanon or Tunisia will be quick to point out the differences between the two forms of communication, it’s been anectdotally observed that approximately 30% of Tounsi and Lebanese words are identically or nearly identically spelled. (But with often differences in accent and pronunciation)
• The pronunciations between Tunisian Arabic and Fos7a usually differ but there is often reasonable similarity that one who may be fluent in one of the two forms of communication can still understand what is spoken or written.
• An IBL contributor, who is fluent in Tunisian Arabic, Fos7a / فصحى, English & French, made the interesting observation that: If she reads Farsi (the language of Iran, historically derived from Persia) she understands the words because the Arabic script is used but she will understand almost nothing of what the words mean. (There is overwhelming consensus that Farsi is a different language than Arabic) Whereas if she reads almost any other dialect of Arabic: E.g., Lebanese Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, etc., although she may not understand all the words to a point of fluency, she can almost always comprehend what is being communicated.

Another interesting point on this topic is if a form of communication, like Tunisian Arabic, is considered an independent language then the same notion would likely need to be applied to almost all, if not all, of the local forms of communication in Arabic-oriented countries. (Think about countries like Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, etc.) Most certainly would not consider such a notion.

For these considerations above, and others, we, like most people, consider Tunisian Arabic a dialect of Arabic.

(A side note: Are you (or a friend) travelling to Tunisia in the near future and want to learn or assist someone with basic travel words in Tunisian Arabic? Here is an IBL list (with pronunciations) of approximately 200 travel-oriented words: IBL — Tunisian Arabic: Essential travel words & phrases)

The influence from other languages

Tunisian Arabic has noticeable influence from French, a bit of influence from English, and there is also the common notion that’s it has been influenced by Amazigh. (the language of North African tribes that pre-date Arabic—And a language still presently quite common in countries like Algeria & Morocco)

French

Tunisia has a long & varied modern historical relationship with France. It was a protectorate turned colony of France until 1956. And even past this period the two countries maintained relations with the educational system in Tunisia, even to the present day, being modelled off of France. Then there is the importing of products, many from France, that have also influenced Derja tounsiya.

The following are Tunisian Arabic words that come from French. (with the same spellings in the Latin script in both languages)

• Lavabo / لافابو (“sink”)
• Papier mouchoir / بابي موشوار (“tissue“)
• Porte feuilles / بورت فوي (“wallet”)

English

In day-to-day speech, very little English is heard. English though shows up in a lot of business and technology contexts even when people are speaking Tounsi. Here are words that are spoken commonly amongst Tunisian Arabic speakers that clearly come from English:

“Soft skills”, “Marketing” and “Business” are all words used and understood by Tunisian Arabic speakers. And of course “wi-fi” and “internet” are also common Tunisian Arabic words that are directly derived from English.

“GPS”, “Internet”, & “PC” (Note that Ordinateur, which is based on French, is commonly used to refer to a Computer too) are words regularly used in Tunisian Arabic that come from English.

Tunisian Arabic in use

An opening note regarding this section: In all the recordings in this section, the first word spoken is the Tounsi word and the second is the Fos7a word.

Here are three examples of Tunisian Arabic words that are completely different from their Fos7a counterparts:

“Pavement”

Tunisian Arabic = Medda / مادّة

Standard Arabic (Fos7a) = Rasif / رصيف

“Couch” (“Sofa”):

Tunisian Arabic = Banc (Bank) / بنك

Standard Arabic (Fos7a) = Arika / أريكة

Aroua F. speaks Bank & Arika:

“Carrot”:

Tunisian Arabic = Sfenerya / سفنّارية

Standard Arabic (Fos7a) = Jazar / جزر

Aroua F. pronounces Sfenerya & Jazar:

Here are three examples of Tunisian Arabic words that are spelled, using the Arabic script, identically to their Fos7a counterparts: (Note: The slight variations of spellings using the Latin script in two of the three examples)

“Olives”

Tunisian Arabic = Zitoun / زيتون

Standard Arabic (Fos7a) = Zaytoun / زيتون

“Table”

Tunisian Arabic = Tawla / طاولة

Standard Arabic (Fos7a) = Tawila / طاولة

“Coffee”

Tunisian Arabic = 9ahwa / قهوة

Standard Arabic (Fos7a) = 9ahwa / قهوة

And here are three final examples of Tunisian Arabic words that are spelled with slight variation from their Fos7a counterparts:

“Cup”

Tunisian Arabic = Kes / كاس

Standard Arabic (Fos7a) = Ka2s / كأس

“Air”

Tunisian Arabic = Hwe / هوا

Standard Arabic (Fos7a) = Hawe2 / هواء

“Light” (the noun, both the device and luminosity)

Tunisian Arabic = Dhaw / ضو

Standard Arabic (Fos7a) = Dhaw2 / ضوء

In closing

This article covered what Tunisian Arabic is, how its writing system formed, its influences, and some of the similarities and differences it has with Standard Arabic. To continue learning Tunisian Arabic there is the full IBL catalogue of Tunisian Arabic. (over 5,000 principal translations with recordings & over 20,000 sentences available) To get more advanced with your learning, you may want to study the IBL articles: How nouns function in Tunisian Arabic and How verbs function in Tunisian Arabic (premium). Or if you wish to start at the basics and learn each Tunisian Arabic letter individually we have a series of articles for that: You could start with A study: The letter “A” in Arabic.

Enjoy learning Tunisian Arabic. An Arabic dialect as wonderful as its people.

We wish you a marvellous journey!