γιάλα κ.τλ.

[Theseus]

This song is puzzling me a great deal, so I'll make a separate entry under 'Discussing everything under the sun'. But a comment on this song runs as follows:-
-Ε, άμαν, γιάλα, ωχ! Γεια σου Ρίτα!
-Ωωπα! Άμαν, γιάλα, γιάλα! Ντάχτιρι, ντάχτιρι, ντάχτιρι! Ωχ, ωχ ωχ! Ώπλες, ώπλες. Ε, άμαν, γιάλα, ωχ! Γεια σου Ρίτα!
-Ωωπα! Άμαν, γιάλα, γιάλα! Ντάχτιρι, ντάχτιρι, ντάχτιρι! Ωχ, ωχ ωχ! Ώπλες, ώπλες!

Can someone explain this outpouring of praise! Γιάλα particularly puzzles me, apart form the obvious Turkish loan of Ya Allah! But slang.gr's 2nd explanation is very hard to understand & I have given up on it, till further enlightenment comes from lexilogia. :curse:

 

[Neikos]

Το ντάχτιρι συνήθως είναι νταχτιρντί.

Το ώπλες το έβαλα στο άλλο νήμα αλλά ας το έχουμε κι εδώ. Όπλες.

Θα δω τι λέει το σλανγκ για το γιάλα και θα επανέλθω λίγο αργότερα αν βρω χρόνο.

 

[Theseus]

Θεγξ, Νείκο.

 

[SBE]

Γιάλα= αραβικό επιφώνημα (you have probably seen it in English texts as yalla) and it means come on.

 

[SBE]

I also think Theseus you need to be introduced to Ζαϊρα, Γκιουλμπαχάρ, Σεράχ and Ζεχρά, as well as orientalism in Greek music (not just rembetico).

 

[Theseus]

Thanks too, SBE. Zaïra means 'blooming flower' Gülbahar 'rose of the spring', Serah 'princess' & Zehra 'beautiful, bright'. Wonderful & evocative names! Arabic, Turkish, Hebrew: oriental words... I have followed up the links you provided.:)

 

[daeman]

...
Yalla Chant (Transglobal Underground mix) - Natacha Atlas

Έλα, έλα έλα!

 

[Theseus]

Isn't έλα/γιάλα or something like it the cry that Antonis Martsakis to the others in the Pentozali:-

See (again) at 2:24 minutes onward:-

 

[SBE]

I have danced in group performances like that and I can tell you that the cry of the leading person is usually the name of the step that will follow so that they are all doing the same thing (because you need to count and not everyone counts). I can't hear well what they say in this clip but I think I hear a "τρία" which is probably η φιγούρα Νο 3.
Or they may have agreed beforehand that when he says "έλα" they do X. And so on.

 

[Theseus]

That's so helpful, SBE. I can't think of any English parallel. Maybe, the French instructions traditional' in barn dancing, like dos à dos.

 

[SBE]

In dance groups you also hear αλλαγή, στροφή the names of the steps, numbers and even έλα, άντε, όπα to indicate a new step.

 

[Theseus]

Thanks, SBE, for this extra information. I wonder whether in the Ancient Greek choral odes whether such cries were uttered by the leader of the chorus--the χορηγός (later called the κορυφαῖος). It is highly probable. You have given me a real insight into how the chorus performed in ancient times.

 

[SBE]

I don't think this is unique to Greek dance groups, I remember vaguely from some american literary work that in 19th c ballrooms there was a person sitting with the orchestra shouting the name of the next step so the dancers would know what to do -essential in dances that involved changing partners and moving around in groups etc, where the participants have not rehearsed in a group.

 

[Theseus]

Thanks, SBE. Yes, that's just what happens in a barn dance, which is generally unrehearsed.

 

[altan]

γιάλα: from Arabic ياالله in Turkish "ya allah" which literally means " O God!"
But in Turkish as "yallah" form means "άιντε"or "άει στο διάολο".

 

[Theseus]

Thanks, Altan. Is the second meaning from a separate Arabic root?

 

[altan]

Thanks, Altan. Is the second meaning from a separate Arabic root?

I dont think so, Theseus. It's a short and compound form of "ya allah". And I have no idea if Arabs use it in the same meaning as the Turks.