阿拉

Originally Ningbonese. Due to an influx of migrants from Ningbo to Shanghai, this has supplanted the original Shanghainese 我伲 or 伲.

阿 is from 我 (MC ŋɑ^X, “I; me”). 拉 is a plural marker, also seen in 伊拉 (“they; them”).

阿拉 (chiefly Wu, including Ningbo, Shanghainese Wu)

1. we; us

   阿拉上海人是吃咖啡長大個。 [Shanghainese, trad.]
   阿拉上海人是吃咖啡长大个。 [Shanghainese, simp.]

   [a̱ʔ³³ la̱⁴⁴ z̥ɑ̃²² he̞⁵⁵ n̠ʲɪɲ²¹ sz̩³⁴ t͡ɕʰi̯ɪʔ⁵⁵ kʰa̱⁵⁵ fi²¹ t͡sã³³ d̥v̩ʷ⁴⁴ ɡ̊əʔ¹²] [IPA]

   We Shanghainese grew up drinking coffee.

   阿拉兩個人是好朋友。 [Shanghainese, trad.]
   阿拉两个人是好朋友。 [Shanghainese, simp.]

   [a̱ʔ³³ la̱⁴⁴ liã²² ɡ̊əʔ⁴⁴ n̠ʲɪɲ²³ sz̩³⁴ hɔ³³ b̥ã⁵⁵ ɦiɜ²¹] [IPA]

   The two of us are good friends.

2. I; me

   儂勿講道理，阿拉勿睬儂！ [Shanghainese, trad.]
   侬勿讲道理，阿拉勿睬侬！ [Shanghainese, simp.]

   [nʊŋ²³ v̥əʔ¹² kɑ̃³⁴ d̥ɔ²² li⁴⁴ a̱ʔ³³ la̱⁴⁴ v̥əʔ¹² t͡sʰe̞³⁴ nʊŋ²³] [IPA]

   You are being unreasonable; I’m not talking to you anymore. [girl, cute-sounding]

   • 1976, “追求三部曲”, performed by 許冠傑:

     實在阿拉面懵兼心精 [Cantonese, trad.]
     实在阿拉面懵兼心精 [Cantonese, simp.]

     sat⁶ zoi⁶ aa³ laa¹ min⁶ mung² gim¹ sam¹ zeng¹ [Jyutping]

     Frankly I was playing the fool

   • 2022 April 25, ““阿拉是上海女儿！”来自邵阿姨的守护”, in 人民网 [People's Daily]‎:

     「阿拉是上海女兒！我要展示真實的上海」 [MSC, trad.]
     “阿拉是上海女儿！我要展示真实的上海” [MSC, simp.]

     “Ālā shì Shànghǎi nǚ'ér! Wǒ yào zhǎnshì zhēnshí de Shànghǎi” [Pinyin]

     "I'm a Shanghainese woman! I want to display the true Shanghai"

     「阿拉從小生在上海，後來移居澳門，在外住了四十年。[…[[#Chinese|]]]」 [MSC, trad.]
     “阿拉从小生在上海，后来移居澳门，在外住了四十年。[…[[#Chinese|]]]” [MSC, simp.]

     “Ālā cóngxiǎo shēng zài Shànghǎi, hòulái yíjū Àomén, zàiwài zhù le sìshí nián. [... ]” [Pinyin]

     "From youth I was born in Shanghai. Later I moved to Macau, and lived there for 40 years."

Borrowed from Arabic اللّٰه‎ (allāh).

阿拉

1. Allah

• 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–