# smalah



## bat777

In another thread, AoYama mentioned "smalah" as a word that can be used by Sepharadim in the same way that Ashkenazim would use "mishpuche". 
What exactly does "smalah" mean??


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## noali

jajaj..that´s funny  

We say the word "smalah" when someone is suffocating from a piece of food. It usually comes together with the smack on his back.. 

nevertheless, I have absolutely no idea what it means.


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## Veggy

My aunt (from Poland/Russia) used the word smalah when she spoke french to say the whole family when there were many children with a sort of ironic meaning. I'll certainly follow this thread to know more about it.


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## Clara_

Veggy said:


> My aunt (from Poland/Russia) used the word smalah when she spoke french to say the whole family when there were many children with a sort of ironic meaning. I'll certainly follow this thread to know more about it.



Shalom.

Yes, that is how we use the word smala(h) in French.
It originally comes from Arabic: I read that it was used to call the Arab leaders' attendants and families.

I don't know if it has the same meaning in Hebrew though.


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## cfu507

Smala is not a Hebrew word. It comes from Arabic and noali described its usage perfectly.

I can't say we say, but some people say smala when they got scared. Examples:
1/ you come into the room; I was doing my homework and very concentrated so that I didn't hear you. “smala, you scared me.
2/ when a little boy start to walk and he almost stumble and slip on the flour. You might say smala. 

Smala comes from alla (God in Arabic) and it means “God forbid” - אלוהים ישמור

Smala alek - אלוהים ישמור עליך.

I used to hear it in Arabic-Egyptian movies. Old Israelis from Egypt, Tunisia and other countries use this word.

I've never heard Askenazi say smala.


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## elroy

"Smala" (pronounced "sma*ll*a" in Arabic) does not mean "God forbid." It is a contraction of "isem alla," which means "the name of God" or "God's name" (Arabic "isem" = Hebrew "shem").

"Smalla `alék" literally means "May God's name be upon you" ("shem elohim `alecha").

In Arabic (at least in Palestinian Arabic), the word is used in all of the contexts described above (and in many others), but I wouldn't consider it ironic when used after saying that someone has many children. Also, I'm not sure it was ever used "to call the Arab leaders' attendants and families" (although I have to say, I'm not quite sure what you meant there, Clara).

I had no idea it was also used in Hebrew! 

(I used ` to represent the ע sound, which is not pronounced by most speakers of Hebrew but must be pronounced in Arabic.)


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## cfu507

הי אליאס, יכול להיות שבתוניסאית התרגום הוא כן כפי שציינתי וכך גם במיצרית. זה נשמע משפט מוזר כשמתרגמים את זה לעברית "שם אלוהים עליך". אולי מה שהצעתי הוא לא התרגום המילולי (מילה במילה) אך המשמעות של זה כן נכונה (שהשם ישמור על מי שקרה לו או שכמעט קרה לו משהו)?
​


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## elroy

I can't speak for Tunisian or Egyptian, but in Palestinian Arabic it is not used to mean "God forbid," and I strongly suspect that the same applies in other dialects.

שם אלוהים עליך may sound funny or strange in Hebrew, but I was just trying to give the literal meaning (as I did in English). 

I would not translate "smalla" as "God forbid," whether literally or figuratively, for the simple reason that it is not used with that meaning. In fact, I cannot think of a single situation in which I would say "smalla" in Arabic and "God forbid" in English. The Arabic translation of "God forbid" is "lá samaHa 'llá."


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## cfu507

נזכרתי בעוד סיטואציה שבה משתמשים בזה. אני אפילו לא יודעת איך ואם כותבים את המילה הזו באותיות עבריות.
נגיד שבחורה מספרת לחברה שלה משהו שקרה לה היום: נסעתי לתל-אביב ופיספסתי את הרכבת, כשהגעתי לחוף הים דרכתי על זפת והצבע השחור לא יורד לי מהרגל. מחר אחי מתחתן ואני לא יכולה לנעול את הסנדלים היפים שקניתי לחתונה של אחי בגלל הכתם שיש לי על הרגל.
החברה משיב בציניות: סמאלה עליק
הכוונה של החברה היא לומר בזלזול "מסכנה שלי".​


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## cfu507

I can't edit my post so I'm adding some words to post # 5 (mine):

When I translated "smalla" to "God forbid" my translation from Hebrew to English was not correct. When I wrote השם ישמור, I didn't mean to חס וחלילה, but more to something like "god will save you"....


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## elroy

It's all clear now. 

As my English is far better than my Hebrew, I focused on your English translation and didn't pay much attention to the Hebrew one, assuming it meant the same thing as the English translation. 

אלוהים ישמור עליך is a good translation that conveys the meaning of "smalla" as used in most situations.
"God forbid" is not a correct translation.  A better English translation would be "May God protect you" (even though that phrase is not used the same way in English).


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## scriptum

bat777 said:


> In another thread, AoYama mentioned "smalah" as a word that can be used by Sepharadim in the same way that Ashkenazim would use "mishpuche".
> What exactly does "smalah" mean??


AFAIK, that "smalah" is a Maghreb Arabic word that descends from the classical Arabic "zamalah". It exists in modern French, too. Elroy, could this word be related to the Hebrew / Palestinian "חמולה"?


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## elroy

I don't think so, Scriptum.  I think it comes from اسم الله ("name of God"), as I said in post #6.


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## scriptum

elroy said:


> I think it comes from اسم الله ("name of God"), as I said in post #6.


 Of course it does. I am speaking about another word. See 
http://atilf.atilf.fr/dendien/scripts/tlfiv5/affart.exe?19;s=1320245415;?b=0;


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## jdotjdot89

I was going to guess that it was a shortened for of an exclamation of "in God's name!", باسم الله


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## cherine

Interesting thread! The title caught my eyes, and I thought I'd add some comments -mainly to back Elroy's answer 


noali said:


> We say the word "smalah" when someone is suffocating from a piece of food. It usually comes together with the smack on his back..





cfu507 said:


> I can't say we say, but some people say smala when they got scared. Examples:
> 1/ you come into the room; I was doing my homework and very concentrated so that I didn't hear you. “smala, you scared me.
> 2/ when a little boy start to walk and he almost stumble and slip on the flour. You might say smala.



Noali's example and cfu's second examples illustrates exactly how this expression is used in Egypt. Cfu's first example isn't very well representing our usage. But maybe some Egyptians use it this way.


cfu507 said:


> Smala comes from alla (God in Arabic) and it means “God forbid” - אלוהים ישמור
> Smala alek - אלוהים ישמור עליך.
> 
> I used to hear it in Arabic-Egyptian movies. Old Israelis from Egypt, Tunisia and other countries use this word.


As Elroy said, Smala/smalla اسم الله (pronounced in Egypt "esmalla" - with a doubled laam/L ل ) means "God's name", not God forbid. It can be uderstood as: may God's name protect you. Or, in a less literal meaning: may God protect you. And this is why "esmalla 3alek" اسم الله عليك (smala alek) is also used. It literaly means: God's name upon you (which means: May God's protection be upon you).



Clara_ said:


> It originally comes from Arabic: I read that it was used to call the Arab leaders' attendants and families.


This is the first time I hear/read this. I don't think it's correct. 


elroy said:


> I can't speak for Tunisian or Egyptian, but in Palestinian Arabic it is not used to mean "God forbid," and I strongly suspect that the same applies in other dialects.


I agree with you. It's not the way it's used in Egypt either.


> שם אלוהים עליך may sound funny or strange in Hebrew, but I was just trying to give the literal meaning (as I did in English).


I can only say I'm really sorry I'm missing all the Hebrew posts  But I hope I didn't miss much.


			
				Elroy said:
			
		

> I would not translate "smalla" as "God forbid," whether literally or figuratively, for the simple reason that it is not used with that meaning. In fact, I cannot think of a single situation in which I would say "smalla" in Arabic and "God forbid" in English. The Arabic translation of "God forbid" is "lá samaHa 'llá."


Again, I agree with Elroy.
For those interested, please check this thread in the Arabic forum about "God forbid".


jdotjdot89 said:


> I was going to guess that it was a shortened for of an exclamation of "in God's name!", باسم الله


It's close  It's the same, only without the preposition ب /in
bismillah باسم الله = in God's name
ismallah اسم الله = God's name


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## scriptum

cherine said:


> This is the first time I hear/read this. I don't think it's correct.


It is 100% correct in French, and you will find this word in any (serious) modern French dictionary. 
But again, we seem to be speaking about two different words with two different etymologies (_ism-allah_ and _zamalah_), probably from two different Arabic dialects.


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## cherine

Yes, of course. I was only talking about the Arabic meaning and usage.
The word zamalah زمالة is a bit like the French "camaraderie" or the relation between colleagues.

By the way, the link you provided to atilf leads to an expired session. Could you tell me which word I'm supposed to look up? Is it zamalah?


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## scriptum

cherine said:


> which word I'm supposed to look up? Is it zamalah?


Smala(h)


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