# Serbo-Croatian (BCS): mašala



## Diaspora

What is the meaning of "mašala"? I hear it often but never actually knew the exact meaning.


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## slavic_one

*MašaAllah* or *MašAllah* ( arabian: ما شاء الله) means sth like "God bless". But in normal speach most often means "great!", "very good"...


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## TriglavNationalPark

slavic_one said:


> *MašaAllah* or *MašAllah* ( arabian: ما شاء الله) means sth like "God bless". But in normal speach most often means "great!", "very good"...


 
Just curious, is this phrase used only by Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) because of its obvious Islamic religious character, or has it been adopted by Serbs and Croats as well?


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## musicalchef

slavic_one said:


> *MašaAllah* or *MašAllah* ( arabian: ما شاء الله) means sth like "God bless". But in normal speach most often means "great!", "very good"...



In Arabic it literally means "What God wills" (as opposed to Insha'Allah - If God wills/God willing).  It means that if something is good, it is because God has made it that way.  (In some Muslim cultures it is said, in part, to ward off or avoid the evil eye)  But yes, for many people it's now a synonym for "very good."


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## Diaspora

TriglavNationalPark said:


> Just curious, is this phrase used only by Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) because of its obvious Islamic religious character, or has it been adopted by Serbs and Croats as well?


 
The phrase is used by Serbs and Croats living in Central Bosnia where the population is mostly Muslim. I know this because of my family origins. But it doesn't have religious meaning to us.


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## phosphore

It could also mean "finally!", I think.


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## dark_helmut

TriglavNationalPark said:


> Just curious, is this phrase used only by Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) because of its obvious Islamic religious character, or has it been adopted by Serbs and Croats as well?



It has no religious character, only origin. It is a common used word that had become accustomed in the language through Turkish influence and used by both Moslems and Christians. Beside Bosnia and Hercegovina, it is also heavily used in Montenegro and to an extent in South-Eastern Serbia, if I am not mistaken. 

The usage context is already well explained. An exclamation that expresses relief and/or satisfaction because of a good news. When you hear that the sick got better, you say 'mašala'; when you hear good news, you say 'mašala'; when you hear that someone has passed the exam that caused him trouble in the past, you say 'mašala' etc. Often replaceable with 'Hvala Bogu' - Thank God.


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## Duya

dark_helmut said:


> It has no religious character, only origin. It is a common used word that had become accustomed in the language through Turkish influence and used by both Moslems and Christians. Beside Bosnia and Hercegovina, it is also heavily used in Montenegro and to an extent in South-Eastern Serbia, if I am not mistaken.
> 
> The usage context is already well explained. An exclamation that expresses relief and/or satisfaction because of a good news. When you hear that the sick got better, you say 'mašala'; when you hear good news, you say 'mašala'; when you hear that someone has passed the exam that caused him trouble in the past, you say 'mašala' etc. Often replaceable with 'Hvala Bogu' - Thank God.



_Uze mi reč iz usta, _like we say... .

As far as I can tell, the word has lost its original religious connotations already in Turkish, which was the mediator from Arabic. See what the Turkish dictionary says about it, and it mostly matches common BCS usage. I remember eating in "Maşallah Döner" restaurant in Germany.

Additionally, the word also acquired adjectival usage. Remember Rambo Amadeus's "...za kratko je stek'o mašala kapital uloživši obraz i tri prazne šibice..."?


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## SweetCherry

dark_helmut said:


> It has no religious character, only origin. It is a common used word that had become accustomed in the language through Turkish influence and used by both Moslems and Christians. Beside Bosnia and Hercegovina, it is also heavily used in Montenegro and to an extent in South-Eastern Serbia, if I am not mistaken.
> 
> The usage context is already well explained. An exclamation that expresses relief and/or satisfaction because of a good news. When you hear that the sick got better, you say 'mašala'; when you hear good news, you say 'mašala'; when you hear that someone has passed the exam that caused him trouble in the past, you say 'mašala' etc. Often replaceable with 'Hvala Bogu' - Thank God.


 
Agree, only to add that it is mostly used to say thank you (to the God) for good (news/result), because not to say it is considered bad luck by superstitious people.


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## Zokionly

Well it is also common for orthodox people in  Macedonia, especially for the older population and some younger ones in the rural areas but also in the cities ,as a result of the earlier  Turkish authorities and their domination in these regions.And of course Albanians of Muslim denomination use it to in everyday conversation.
And it could be almost always seen as a hand written sing on the top of the wooden cradles of the babies in the Muslim communities and areas. It goes often together with Insallah(so it be,God be with you or similarly.


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