Levantine Arabic: machine آلة - ماكينة

[Kenny-Alpha]

Bear in mind that since I speak the Levantine dialect [Lebanese], I often pronounce the taa marbootas with an i or e sound, instead of an a. So ماكنة would sound like ماكني, and آلة would sound like آلي.

Anyway, for some odd reason, and I'm not sure if I'm correct, but I distinguish آلة as a small machine, while ماكنة is a big-sized machine.

For example, the small machines that a baber uses to cut hair, I call it aylit 7allaa2 آلة حلّاق, just because it's a small machine, opposed to a big one.

On the other hand, let's say that there's a huge machine/machinery at work, to handle garbage. Because that machine is big, I would call it a maakanit zbaali ماكنة الزبالة.

Am I wrong here, when I assume that آلة is a small machinery, and that ماكنة is a big/huge one? Or are both totally interchangeable in spoken Arabic?

 

[raamez]

آلة is a learned word in Syria and is used only in fixed constructions or compound words while ماكينة is the default word for machine.

Am I wrong here, when I assume that آلة is a small machinery, and that ماكنة is a big/huge one? Or are both totally interchangeable in spoken Arabic?

Yes you are wrong. It doesn't have to do with the size of the machine.

 

[Kenny-Alpha]

آلة is a learned word in Syria and is used only in fixed constructions or compound words while ماكينة is the default word for machine.

Yes you are wrong. It doesn't have to do with the size of the machine.

آلة is a learned word in Syria and is used only in fixed constructions or compound words while ماكينة is the default word for machine.

Ok thanks for the clarification. And can you give an example of a fixed construction where آلة is used (in Syrian)?