Any learner of the Arabic language must first decide which Arabic it is they want to learn. While some form of colloquial (spoken) Arabic is the first language of over 280 million people mainly across the Middle East and North Africa, many of these dialects are not mutually intelligible. In addition to the spoken forms, Modern Standard Arabic, based on Classical (Quranic) Arabic, is widely used in schools, universities, workplaces, government and the media throughout the Arab world. So naturally you have to ask yourself: Which form of Arabic do I want to learn? Do I learn some form of Gulf, North African, or Mediterranean Arabic? Where do I want to travel, work, or spend the most time? Should I learn Modern Standard Arabic so that I can engage in intellectual, political, or philosophical conversations with educated people across the region? Should I learn a spoken form so that I can interact with people on the street? Which is the most widely understood colloquial form? Is it possible to formally study a colloquial language? How do I want to be identified when I open my mouth? The task can seem quite daunting, and has deterred many a potential learner of the language, myself included.
In my experience so far, I've been picking up mostly what I can of Najdi Arabic-- the colloquial form spoken in the central region of Saudi Arabia called Najd. Originally I thought that learning Modern Standard would be the best, since it's used across the region and because I'm often want to engage in political and philosophical conversations (not that that's obvious to you all), but in the process of developing even the most basic vocabulary, I quickly ran into a problem. No one I actually spoke with outside of an academic environment could understand what the heck I was saying. Cab drivers, shop keepers, and even my students all looked at me pretty quizzically and kind of shaking me off would correct me with colloquial words and phrases. My first crisis of the Arabic language had occurred. So now, having decided that in my present situation learning the local spoken dialect would be best, I was immediately confronted with my next crises: Well what happens when I travel?; How well will I be understood?; and Do I really want to be identified by my Saudi dialect? I felt like I was back at square one.
I can now say though, that it seems the best course of action is to learn a colloquial dialect, especially if you plan on living and working in the region. It will be the easiest to pick up through interactions and the best to converse with. Once some level of fluency in that spoken form is reached, I get the impression that differences, especially between dialects that are close geographically to each other, can be picked up more easily and mutual intelligibility isn't as difficult. You will be identified by the words you use and your accent, but this seems to be unavoidable and unfortunately would mean that people wherever I'd go in the Arab world would know I'd spent time in Saudi and assume I've got money. Modern Standard Arabic seems to only be useful if you plan on being highly involved in academia or government, and while it is the language of mass, pan-Arab media and literature, I don't get the impression that it would take you very far on the street. You would be bound to run into somebody who speaks it, but for the most part people would assume that you've studied Islam extensively since it's based on the language of the Qur'an. If you're not planning on living and/or working in a specific part of the Arab world, I've been told that Egyptian Arabic is the most widely understood spoken form, thanks to the popularity of Egyptian movies and television programs, and would take you the furthest while travelling.
Regardless of which dialect of Arabic one decides to learn, the language on the whole seems to have some unique qualities. The thing that I've found to be the most interesting is how someone fluent in both Arabic and another language will transition back and forth between the two seamlessly and without giving it any thought, sometimes in mid-sentence. It's crazy to be sitting next to someone conversing entirely in Arabic when they'll suddenly say "about 20 kilometers give or take" and then continue again in Arabic. The same goes for someone speaking English interjecting Arabic into the conversation based seemingly on which language is best suited to express their sentiment. It's cool, and while a lot of the words and phrases from Arabic that are used frequently by speakers of other languages (like "inshallah") have religious connotations, the fact that people switch back and forth so frequently raises interesting questions about different languages' ability to express different feelings and ideas. Which things are better said in one language? Which in the other? It seems like it would be nice to have more options.
Words after all, are the building blocks of our thoughts. So the language your given shapes the thoughts you can make. Learning another language gives you the opportunity to experience a different way of thinking. It allows you to think using a different set of tools-- someone else's set. In addition to offering rare insight into how other people think, it also gives you the opportunity to use more of your brain. Studies done on multilingualism's effect on the brain have shown that multilingual people have a higher proficiency in cognitive function and are less likely to develop age-related mental diminishment. The additional acts of learning new alphabets and systems of writing can only mean more mental exercise with more benefit to the brain.
For right now though, I'll take delight in the cultural understanding and experience that my own adventure with Arabic and other languages allows for, and let the other stuff take care of itself. But still, it's pretty cool to think about.
In my experience so far, I've been picking up mostly what I can of Najdi Arabic-- the colloquial form spoken in the central region of Saudi Arabia called Najd. Originally I thought that learning Modern Standard would be the best, since it's used across the region and because I'm often want to engage in political and philosophical conversations (not that that's obvious to you all), but in the process of developing even the most basic vocabulary, I quickly ran into a problem. No one I actually spoke with outside of an academic environment could understand what the heck I was saying. Cab drivers, shop keepers, and even my students all looked at me pretty quizzically and kind of shaking me off would correct me with colloquial words and phrases. My first crisis of the Arabic language had occurred. So now, having decided that in my present situation learning the local spoken dialect would be best, I was immediately confronted with my next crises: Well what happens when I travel?; How well will I be understood?; and Do I really want to be identified by my Saudi dialect? I felt like I was back at square one.
I can now say though, that it seems the best course of action is to learn a colloquial dialect, especially if you plan on living and working in the region. It will be the easiest to pick up through interactions and the best to converse with. Once some level of fluency in that spoken form is reached, I get the impression that differences, especially between dialects that are close geographically to each other, can be picked up more easily and mutual intelligibility isn't as difficult. You will be identified by the words you use and your accent, but this seems to be unavoidable and unfortunately would mean that people wherever I'd go in the Arab world would know I'd spent time in Saudi and assume I've got money. Modern Standard Arabic seems to only be useful if you plan on being highly involved in academia or government, and while it is the language of mass, pan-Arab media and literature, I don't get the impression that it would take you very far on the street. You would be bound to run into somebody who speaks it, but for the most part people would assume that you've studied Islam extensively since it's based on the language of the Qur'an. If you're not planning on living and/or working in a specific part of the Arab world, I've been told that Egyptian Arabic is the most widely understood spoken form, thanks to the popularity of Egyptian movies and television programs, and would take you the furthest while travelling.
Regardless of which dialect of Arabic one decides to learn, the language on the whole seems to have some unique qualities. The thing that I've found to be the most interesting is how someone fluent in both Arabic and another language will transition back and forth between the two seamlessly and without giving it any thought, sometimes in mid-sentence. It's crazy to be sitting next to someone conversing entirely in Arabic when they'll suddenly say "about 20 kilometers give or take" and then continue again in Arabic. The same goes for someone speaking English interjecting Arabic into the conversation based seemingly on which language is best suited to express their sentiment. It's cool, and while a lot of the words and phrases from Arabic that are used frequently by speakers of other languages (like "inshallah") have religious connotations, the fact that people switch back and forth so frequently raises interesting questions about different languages' ability to express different feelings and ideas. Which things are better said in one language? Which in the other? It seems like it would be nice to have more options.
Words after all, are the building blocks of our thoughts. So the language your given shapes the thoughts you can make. Learning another language gives you the opportunity to experience a different way of thinking. It allows you to think using a different set of tools-- someone else's set. In addition to offering rare insight into how other people think, it also gives you the opportunity to use more of your brain. Studies done on multilingualism's effect on the brain have shown that multilingual people have a higher proficiency in cognitive function and are less likely to develop age-related mental diminishment. The additional acts of learning new alphabets and systems of writing can only mean more mental exercise with more benefit to the brain.
For right now though, I'll take delight in the cultural understanding and experience that my own adventure with Arabic and other languages allows for, and let the other stuff take care of itself. But still, it's pretty cool to think about.
I really enjoyed reading this post, my friend. You are very thoughtful and I truly enjoy reading what goes on in your head :) Keep it up! I love reading it!
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