# Bullying (in schools), Cyberbullying



## barkoosh

Hello

I'd like to know what word for "bullying" is used in different Arab countries. In Lebanon, the English word is commonly used. However, when a children organization wanted to shed more light on the problem, billboards showed the word التنمر. Then TV shows and celebrities started talking about it. (The slogan was التنمر مش مزحة)

So is there any specific word for it in your country?

(It seems that التنمر is used in UAE. UNICEF also used التنمر on a page about bullying in Egypt)


----------



## Mahaodeh

I have to admit that I've only recently heard it, but on several Iraqi TV channels I've heard التنمر also. 

I think that this word is becoming increasingly common for bullying in MSA in general.


----------



## barkoosh

Thank you Maha for sharing.


----------



## apricots

I hear التنمر on Palestinian tv all the time.


----------



## cherine

Yes, this is the word that's been in use for at least the last decade. I can't remember what was used before that, nor the colloquial word, if there's one in the first place. As far as I know, when people talk about bullying they describe it, something like الولاد بيضربوا بعض or a bully بيضرب زمايله.
But if I learn or remember something else, I'll add it to this thread.


----------



## She'lock Holmes

I think we can use العنف المدرسي for this very meaning. I'm much more used to 'bullying' as an English word than its Arabic equivalents


----------



## apricots

She'lock Holmes said:


> I think we can use العنف المدرسي for this very meaning. I'm much more used to 'bullying' as an English word than its Arabic equivalents



This is interesting because in Jordan a big topic of conversation is العنف الجامعي but it's not bullying rather tribal violence among university students. If I saw العنف المدرسي in a Jordanian headline I'd think it's the same thing at a younger age.


----------



## She'lock Holmes

It literally refers to violence as you said but I believe it's understandable for bullying; more so (at least for me) than التنمر. It shouldn't be understood as merely violence in an appropriate context like العنف المدرسي، جريمة أم مجرد مشاغبة؟.
What I really don't know a word for is bullying-Arabic-equivalent as a verb.


----------



## barkoosh

Thank you guys. Obviously التنمر is emerging as the main rendering of "bullying" (probably same as المثلية). We don't know if it will stick.

BTW, البلطجة is also used.


----------



## Ghabi

barkoosh said:


> In Lebanon, the English word is commonly used


You mean there's no native word for "to bully", right? Do you just use ضرب as Cherine says in Egyptian, in cases like "He would bully any kid smaller than him"?


----------



## barkoosh

Yes. A parent would say:
هالولد بيضرب ابني
هالولد بيدفش [يدفع] ابني
هالولد بياخد أكلات ابني


----------



## Ghabi

Thanks. Do you have a specific word for the person who bullies? For example, "He's the local bully. You don't wanna mess with him."


----------



## barkoosh

I don't think so. We might use the general word أزعر (or probably زْعوري), which means that he's a bad person.


----------



## cherine

Here, we'd use fetewwa فتوة and balTagi بلطجي and the verbs yetfatwen يتفتوتن and yetbalTag يتبلطج.


----------



## cherine

cherine said:


> But if I learn or remember something else, I'll add it to this thread.


And I just came from the library where I found several books about العنف المدرسي. I didn't check the publishing date of all of them, but many were published in the 90s. There was at least one recent thesis that used the word tanammur instead.
Even the older English books have "school violence" while the newer ones (starting maybe from the 90s) have the term bullying.

Anyway, I think this confirms what I said above that tanammur is a rather recent term.


She'lock Holmes said:


> I think we can use العنف المدرسي for this very meaning.


I agree with you, but it seems this term is gradually falling out of usage. People seem to love new terms, even when there are already perfectly valid ones.


----------



## jack_1313

I don't think العنف المدرسي is a very good translation because it doesn't necessarily mean bullying. Not all violence that occurs within a school setting is bullying, and certainly not all bullying involves violence. I think that the majority doesn't, and the thread title itself mentions "cyber-bullying", a form that usually doesn't involve physical violence.


----------



## cherine

Yes, maybe that's why the term currently in use is التنمُّر. I just wanted to tell whoever's interested that before this term become this commonly used, there was another term العنف المدرسي. And in those books, it was indeed explained that not all violence is physical.
A milder term is المضايقات but this can't be used with all instances of bullying.


----------

