# All dialects: chewing gum



## elroy

Hello!

What word(s) does your dialect use for "chewing gum"?

I've heard four different words used in Palestinian Arabic:

مسكة (miska)
ماستك (māstek)
علكة (3ilke)
لبان (lbān)

I personally say مسكة.


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## barkoosh

Lebanon: علكة.


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## Hemza

In Morocco, we say مسكة (meska). All the Palestinians I know, although each from a different area (al khalil, al quds, qalqilia, bayt la7m), all say علكة except one, from Jenine who says مسكة.


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## elroy

I grew up in the Jerusalem area and everyone around me said مسكة.  My dad is the only person I've ever heard say ماستك, which is a borrowing from Hebrew.  He's from Sakhnin, in the Galilee, but all of my Sakhnini cousins, etc. say لبان.  علكة I've only heard used by one aunt of mine, who's from Isifya (also in the Galilee).

It's interesting that the same word is used in Morocco and Jerusalem.


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## Hemza

elroy said:


> It's interesting that the same word is used in Morocco and Jerusalem.



It's surprising to find such a diversity of word in a small country as Palestine.

I was the first to be surprised when I heard this girl from Jenine asking the others:من بده مسكة؟

Ps: مسكة is also the word used in Morocco for the gum extracted from the acacia.


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## Eman5

In Egypt we say لبان.


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## tounsi51

Chewing gum or لبان (louban) in TA


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## elroy

Hemza said:


> مسكة is also the word used in Morocco for the gum extracted from the acacia.


 For that we say مستكة ("mistaka"), I think.


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## Zoghbi

Algeria: علك or Chewing gum.


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## djara

In Tunisia we distinguish between three types of gum:
1- The traditional لبان, pronounced louban as Tounsi said.
2- The modern industrial gum we call شوينكم (educated pronunciation shween-gom) شينكم (uneducated pronunciation shin-gorm); also called شيكلي (pronounced shick-lay), from the brand name Chickley)
3- مسكتة/مستكة (miskta/mistka) is used for flavoring and incense and is hardly ever chewed (although chewable) because it is very expensive. It is the mastica gum from a tree called Pistacia lentiscus grown on the Greek island of Chios. It has the same etymology as the French and English word 'mastic' meaning putty. It is said to be one of the chief ingredients of Turkish mastic ice cream, dondurma.


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## Hemza

Funny that each three Maghrebi countries uses a word used in Palestine.


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## elroy

djara said:


> شيكلي (pronounced shick-lay), from the brand name Chickley


 Are you sure this isn't from the Spanish _chicle_?


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## Startinov

Morroco : مسكة /شوينكوم


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## Aloulu

djara said:


> In Tunisia we distinguish between three types of gum:
> 1- The traditional لبان, pronounced louban as Tounsi said.
> 2- The modern industrial gum we call شوينكم (educated pronunciation shween-gom) شينكم (uneducated pronunciation shin-gorm); also called شيكلي (pronounced shick-lay), from the brand name Chickley)
> 3- مسكتة/مستكة (miskta/mistka) is used for flavoring and incense and is hardly ever chewed (although chewable) because it is very expensive. It is the mastica gum from a tree called Pistacia lentiscus grown on the Greek island of Chios. It has the same etymology as the French and English word 'mastic' meaning putty. It is said to be one of the chief ingredients of Turkish mastic ice cream, dondurma.



I am familiar with 3ilka or Loban as the same meaning and both often used in Tunisia  (el Jem area).


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## djara

elroy said:


> Are you sure this isn't from the Spanish _chicle_?


Absolutely not sure! But because it was a recent borrowing I supposed it came through the brand name which, by the way, is Chiclet not Chickley. (Most TA borrowings from Spanish date a few centuries back and TA شيكلي is only used for the more recent, industrially produced gums)
Thank you for the opportunity to discover that, in fact, the Spanish word _chicle_ comes from _ tzictli_ in the náhuatl language.


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## tounsi51

Is Chiclet available in Tunisia? I have never seen it there.

In the contrary, I heard Moroccans saying chiclet for chewing-gum


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## djara

tounsi51 said:


> Is Chiclet available in Tunisia?


In the old days, when I was a kid, yes. I'm not sure now. I'll ask the youngsters.


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## Hemza

tounsi51 said:


> In the contrary, I heard Moroccans saying chiclet for chewing-gum



Never heard it from Moroccans (not even "chewing gum" I only ever heard مسكة although now you say it, some people may call them "كلوريتس" from the spread brand "clorets", odd chewing gums sold in Morocco


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## bearded

Is there also an MSA word? E.g. how is chewing gum called in newspapers? Thank you.


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## momai

Syria: علكة or علك.


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## Malki92

elroy said:


> I've heard four different words used in Palestinian Arabic:
> 
> مسكة (miska)
> ماستك (māstek)
> علكة (3ilke)
> لبان (lbān)
> 
> I personally say مسكة.



Is بان another way to say لبان in PA?


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## Startinov

> chiclet





> Never heard it from Moroccans



Si,  ça se dit au Maroc.. mais c'est très vieux...


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## Hemza

Startinov said:


> Si,  ça se dit au Maroc.. mais c'est très vieux



Merci, je l'ignorais .


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## elroy

shaliach said:


> Is بان another way to say لبان in PA?


  Never heard that.  Maybe you misheard لبان as بان?


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## cherine

Eman5 said:


> In Egypt we say لبان.



It's mastiika مستيكة in Alexandria. There is (or was) a Facebook page called مستيكة مش لبان، جومة مش أستيكة about the differences between the dialects of Alexandria (where we say mastiika for chewing gum, and gooma for eraser) and Cairo (where they use (lebaan and astiika).



bearded man said:


> Is there also an MSA word? E.g. how is chewing gum called in newspapers? Thank you.


It's علكة. But I think some also use لبان.


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## elroy

cherine said:


> It's علكة. But I think some also use لبان.


 In the Van Dyke translation of the Bible, لبان is used for "frankincense."


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## Hemza

elroy said:


> In the Van Dyke translation of the Bible, لبان is used for "frankincense."



Oh yes, I remember a BBC (the British channel) programme called "The frankincense trail" which follows an old commercial road, stretching from Southern Arabia until Palestine (mediterranean coast), going across current-day Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. In the French version, the incense was called "oliban".


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