Actually, Mona, 23:03 Apr 29, 2020
. . . the expression is not exactly an Iraqi expression. It is an expression that has been inherited from the language of Ottoman bureaucracy and has been used in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq. I am not sure how widely the expression was used in the days of Egyptian monarchy, but I would not be surprised to find it in old documents.
The Ottoman Turks gave us a treasure of words, phrases, and personal names, all derived from common Arabic words, but repurposed for new usage. The bureaucracy needed quick expressions, preferably in one word, to communicate frequently exchanged ideas. The most common form they used was a one-word noun of a three-consonant root in the accusative case, with a tanween at the end:
شكراً، عفواً، عذراً، فضلاً، ربطاً، الخ
These expressions made life a lot easier. They were like the emojis of their day. You just click "like" and move on. |