July 24, 2005
Learning Arabic
In Arabic, the written form is substantially
different from the spoken…to the point that it justifies learning it on
its own. FusHa is the formal/written medium of Arabic, rarely spoken
but commonly used in literature, historical manuscripts, government
documentation, and religious or ceremonial contexts. The two types of
FusHa are called Classical and Modern Standard (MSA). Modern Standard
Arabic is the most commonly taught form of FusHa.
Colloquial Egyptian is the most widely understood Arabic dialect in the
Middle East.Egypt’s capital, Cairo, has long been the center of Arab
media, films and television programs watched by millions of people
across the Arab world. In terms of the number of films produced, Cairo
would fall third in line of production after Bollywood (India) and
Hollywood (USA). Regardless of the rather dramatic changes in dialect
throughout the Arabic speaking countries, Egyptian media has made
Egyptian Colloquial Arabic familiar to nearly every household. Regardless
of which Arabic speaking destinations you may find yourself in,
Egyptian Arabic is a good dialect to begin learning because Arabic
speakers around the world will be able to understand you. You may have
difficulty understanding their dialect at first, but they will at least
be able to understand you. You can adjust your new colloquial Arabic
accordingly from that point. In general, Arabic courses taught at
universities focus on MSA so that are able to read but not communicate
in the language very well. Kind of like, learning Latin and then trying
to communicate to Italian speakers. You have the basis of the language,
but obviously the language has evolved a lot since the days that Latin
was spoken. It has similarities, but the language itself is just not
spoken any more.”
Why Egyptian Colloquial Arabic Arabic?
Regardless of which Arabic speaking destinations you may find yourself
in, Egyptian Arabic is a good dialect to begin learning because Arabic
speakers around the world will be able to understand you. You may have
difficulty understanding their dialect at first, but they will at least
be able to understand you. You can adjust your new colloquial Arabic
accordingly from that point.
Egyptian Colloquial Arabic is considered a “lingua franca” – a language
that is understood and used across borders” – within the Arab world.
Egypt’s capital, Cairo, has long been the center of Arab media, films
and television programs watched by millions of people across the Arab
world. In terms of the number of films produced, Cairo would fall third
in line of production after Bollywood (India) and Hollywood (USA).
Regardless of the rather dramatic changes in dialect throughout the
Arabic speaking countries, Egyptian media has made Egyptian Colloquial
Arabic familiar to nearly every household.
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