# mahala



## Mallarme

_Trăiau împreună într-o *mahala* şi ziua se ocupau de prăvălie_...

Ştiu că acest cuvânt înseamnă "suburbs" şi că în România (poate în toată Europa) cartierul marginaş nu este prea bun (din câte am auzit).  Mă rog are o conotaţie negativă necesar? Sau este că câteodată are o conotaţie neutră?

Îmi poate da cineva câteva lămuriri? Mulţumesc anticipat!


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## parakseno

Now let's see. Originally "mahala" (which is a word of Turkish origin) meant just a neighbourhood (usually near the outskirts of a city) with no negative connotations. 
  Nowadays it's used almost entirely with a derogatory meaning (I think it would be translated something like "slum"). For example when one says "de mahala" most frequently it would mean something vulgar, inurbane, uncivilised.

  Seeing the word "_prăvălie_" too, makes me think it's something about the times when there were no cars and the carriage was the best means of transportation, when there were no supermarkets only a lot of small shops. But yet again, I might be wrong... This is my impression.


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## Mallarme

Mulţumesc pentru răspuns parakseno.  Cred că povestea are loc în jurul anilor 1920 în oraşul Roman.


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## Aldin

In Bosnian we use mahala for street but only in colloquial speech.It is word that derives from turkish.


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