The grammar is standard, its the dialect that differs; I'm not aware of scholastic differences. But I would assume that since Arabic is a logical language (ie follows precise rules) it would be taught the same way everywhere.
Learn to write Arabic!
- Thread starter Athelwulf
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The grammar is standard, its the dialect that differs; I'm not aware of scholastic differences. But I would assume that since Arabic is a logical language (ie follows precise rules) it would be taught the same way everywhere.
A nice poetry site with oral recital and English translations (press trans before play for translations to appear)
Lets see how many words you can guess/recognise
http://www.princeton.edu/~arabic/poetry/
Meter in Arabic poetry
http://www.al-bab.com/arab/literature/poetry.htm
Lets see how many words you can guess/recognise
http://www.princeton.edu/~arabic/poetry/
Meter in Arabic poetry
http://www.al-bab.com/arab/literature/poetry.htm
Do you know Arabic SAM? To what extent?
I can read, follow dialect, speak terribly and write miserably. Still learning though.
I can read, follow dialect, speak terribly and write miserably. Still learning though.
So, I'm in a better state it seems. I listen to news from Aljazeera most of the time and speak formal Arabic, I also write Arabic fluently, though I have problem even undertsanding the spoken colloquial Arabic. It seems like quite a different language. I have heard that Arabic is the richest language regarding the vocabulary...
Depends where you're from. I can understand Saudis, Egyptians, Morroccans and Sudanese, because I had friends or coworkers from these places. Moroccans speak the most francais version, they use a gauche and a droite rather than yameen and yasaar. Did you learn from an alim?
Are you a snake-oil salesman ?
So that's the problem. I don't exactly understand what you mean by Alim. I learnt Arabic partly in school (high school) and partly by my own efforts, but I never had a real chance to practive it with a native speaker for a long time, though I lived in Dubai for over a year, but everybody knows that Dubai is not an Arabic speaking city. Yet I know that though Saudi and Syrian Arabic dialects are the most fluent ones, that of Morocco is hardly similar to Arabic. I had a palestinian friend who told me even he had difficulty understanding the Morroccan version.
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An alim is a scholar.
Yeah, only Tunisians can understand Moroccans. Even Saudis cannot.
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
Modern Arabic is a spectrum of about 25 neighboring dialects. Each one is intercomprehensible with the next, but progressively more difficult with distance.
The Wikipedia article on Dubai says that 2/3 of its population is from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, so I can see why Arabic is not its primary language.
Over here we're told that throughout the Arab-speaking world all formal classes in the language are in Classical Arabic, which is more or less what they try to speak on radio and TV. You'd have to go to a special dialect coach for acting or espionage to be taught the dialect of any specific modern country.
The Wikipedia article on Dubai says that 2/3 of its population is from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, so I can see why Arabic is not its primary language.
Over here we're told that throughout the Arab-speaking world all formal classes in the language are in Classical Arabic, which is more or less what they try to speak on radio and TV. You'd have to go to a special dialect coach for acting or espionage to be taught the dialect of any specific modern country.
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
The alphabets don't map that way. Arabic writing is similar to Hebrew, with letters for consonants only. Vowels are indicated by diacritical marks
The Arabic alphabet is very difficult to master. Unlike Hebrew, which even in "handwriting" consists of separate letters, Arabic even in "printing" is a continuous cursive script. The connections between each possible pair of letters must be done perfectly. It will take a lot of work to write Arabic letters well enough to fool even a casual observer; you might as well study the language.
You'd have an easier time faking Chinese. Once you've learned around 500 words, you start to get an idea of how characters are assembled and you can make up your own. Chances are that a few of them would be real by coincidence.
The only Syrian I met said la-la-la-la-la all the time, in a sing song voice
I think the Saudis speak local Arabic, there are differences between Taif and the Bedouins.
You mean you speak bookish Arabic. Thats like saying anyone who does not speak classical English does not really speak English.
I am SYRIAN do not argue with me. You shouldn't even be speaking Arabic, but since we allow you too show some respect.
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
Come on you guys. This is the linguistics subforum. Everyone has the right to learn and practice any language he wants. It enriches civilization.
Keep it civil or I'll close the thread.
Keep it civil or I'll close the thread.
Norefire, this is ridicuculous. You mean we should ask your permission to learn and speak Arabic? How arrogant! Maybe that's why Arabs are in their current situation today. They conider themselves higher than others, I don't know why?
BTW, I agree that Syrian Arabic is one of the purest dialects, but please do not forget that this is not a political forum, so I would appreciate if you stop despising others (this doesn't mean that I'm in love with the Saudis though
).