# IIL: chooza



## lcfatima

Is it possible to refer to a chooza (chick) as a female, a choozi?

If someone were to affectionately call a female child "chooza" would that be incorrect usage?


----------



## Illuminatus

Chooza does change with gender, as far as I know.

Also, I've never heard this being used as an endearment term.

In French, you can say, _Mon petit poulet_, but in Hindi, I am sure you will be stared at.


----------



## BP.

In my experience chooza is gender-invariant - heard _nar (male) chooza_ and _maada  (female) chooza_.

As Illumin said, _chooza_ could be an endearment appelation for toddlers - '_Aaö mayray choozay_'.

Isn't a _poulet_ a policemen? I mean in the colloqial sense of course.


----------



## Illuminatus

I said just the opposite!!!

I have _never heard _anyone using this as an endearment appellation.

On the contrary, it is sometimes used to belittle someone. Eg. a bully might say, _Abey choozey, chupchaap paise de de._


----------



## BP.

Sorry I misread. But its good in that it shows how context-, intent- and mood-dependent meanings are. Specially for nonsensical words.


----------



## lcfatima

BP: You grew up in Pakistan, right? Have you ever heard this nursery rhyme:

choon choon choon
choon choon choon
main ik nanha chooza hoon
murghi meri ammi hain
main ammi ka beta hoon

If so, can you place it?

I have heard it before as a term of endearment for children, but I wasn't sure if it should be changed based on gender because it seemed to me that choozay were grammatically male.


----------



## BP.

" If so, can you place it?"
Don't get what you mean.

Yes I did grow up in the most austral city of Pakistan, but unfortunately went to one of what they call 'English medium schools' and finished with the GCSE. My REAL Urdu instruction is limited to the two years of 8th and 9th grades. No Urdu nursery rhymes ever I'm afraid.

That little song is so cute though.


----------



## Faylasoof

In Urdu ‘choozah’ (چوزہ ) is always treated grammatically as male by default! Though once you get to know if it is male or female, you can state the gender, as BP says – nar  (نر ) or maadah  (ماده ).   Because chicks are fluffy, cuddly-looking one could always use this as a term of endearment for a child. Equally, because they are helpless, one can use the term as Illumin says, to denigrate and disparage. Apart from the grammatical rule above I don’t think there is a set rule as to how one would use it.


----------



## panjabigator

Never heard this word.  Is there a Hindi equivalent?


----------



## Illuminatus

You mean, Chooza?
It is a Hindi word as well. I don't know any synonym.


----------



## panjabigator

I guess it's because all I've ever heard was <murGii kaa bacchaa>, not that I hear it that often.


----------



## lcfatima

Panjabigator: There is a famous dish from Punjab called chooza makhani, so I suspect chooza is used in Punjabi, too. It is a young chicken, (not a fluffy cute chick or anything) cooked in a karhai in a tomato based masala. That may be a question for mom or auntie.


----------



## Faylasoof

In Urdu it is 'choozah' ( چوزہ ) = fledgling young bird and can be jiRyaa ka choozah چڑیا كا چوز  or murghee ka choozah  مرغی كا چوزہ  etc.etc.. I've had 'murgh makkhanee', and it very Punjabi - very tasty too. More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter_chicken


----------



## Illuminatus

I am sure you meant ChiRiya, not Jiriya. Anyhow, you have written Che and not Jeem in the Urdu version.


----------



## Faylasoof

Well spotted Illumin! Yes indeed I meant chiRiya! That one I missed. But as you say the Urdu made it clear.  BTW, I tried to look at the etymology, but no luck so far. Any idea?


----------



## BP.

Could it be from the Farsi _choocha_ - tiny, like a tiny chiken? Interstingly I once heard a Panjaabi person refer to them as _choochay_.


----------



## panjabigator

Which must be related to the word for beak: <chuuch>.


----------



## Cilquiestsuens

BelligerentPacifist said:


> Could it be from the Farsi _choocha_ - tiny, like a tiny chiken? Interstingly I once heard a Panjaabi person refer to them as _choochay_.


 

I've heard also chooza used in Urdu and Punjabi speaking contexts for toddlers...

But in Punjabi, talking to kids, women would use a childish pronounciation : mera chujjaa.... 

Have you ever heard : mera chejjaada.... ???? (= shehzaadaa)

As for the origin, the presence of a *z* in the word *chooza* clearly indicates a non-indic origin.


----------



## Qureshpor

Faylasoof said:


> Well spotted Illumin! Yes indeed I meant chiRiya! That one I missed. But as you say the Urdu made it clear.  BTW, I tried to look at the etymology, but no luck so far. Any idea?



*In Afghan Persian the word is "chuuchah" for chick, as it is in Punjabi. In Iranian Persian the ch transforms to j and it is pronounced "juujeh". Steingass gives "chuuzah" and "chuujah" as Persian. I can't say anything about the etymology.*


----------



## Faylasoof

I just changed the target language(s) of the thread to IIL (Indo-Iranian Languages) in order to be able to compare the word for chick in Punjabi, Iranian Persian, Afghan Persian and other ILLs! For example, what is it in Pashto, Baluchi and Sindhi?



QURESHPOR said:


> *
> In Afghan Persian the word is "chuuchah" for chick, as it is in Punjabi. In Iranian Persian the ch transforms to j and it is pronounced "juujeh". Steingass gives "chuuzah" and "chuujah" as Persian. I can't say anything about the etymology.*



Yes, in Iranian Persian it is indeed جوجه _juujeh_! The etymology is still a mystery! It is definitely _not_ Pahlavi (Middle Persian) which used the word _kark_ for _chicken / hen_.


----------



## billimiaon

Choocha in pakistan is used sometimes as derogatory term for males who are always available for a girl. It’s exactly synonym of Americans calling someone simp.
A choocha is referred to male “friend” (who is seeking desperately any attention) and is used as emotional dumping ground as they are always there for you.
 A woman will never really date them or be with them. Maybe temporarily here and there but in actuality she never respects him enough to have him as partner. But she will give him enough hopes to make sure he doesn’t end up seriously with anyone else either.  
Choocha is backup for female narcissistic fuckboys.
Majority of them have morbid issues of attention seeking so female fuckboys know how to use them.


----------



## littlepond

billimiaon said:


> Choocha in pakistan is used sometimes as derogatory term for males who are always available for a girl. It’s exactly synonym of Americans calling someone simp.
> A choocha is referred to male “friend” (who is seeking desperately any attention) and is used as emotional dumping ground as they are always there for you.



That also explains why one of the characters in the hit Indian film _Fukrey_ was called _choochaa._


----------

