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Home » Science » Education » Is it Difficult to Learn Arabic?

bigeater2000
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Is it Difficult to Learn Arabic?

Submitted by bigeater2000
Sun, 20 Sep 2009

Arabic is one of the Earth's most important tongues, and fluency in Arabic is an ability that's's highly sought-after. With the ongoing significance of the Middle East for both security purposes and for energy resources, the Western world will keep having a stake in and interaction with the area for a long time. But the Arabic language isn't restricted to the Arab peoples of the Middle East. It is also used thru North Africa, and some parts of east Africa and even subsaharan Africa. It is the official language or one of multiple national languages in 25 states, and twenty-six if we categorize Israel and the Palestinian autonomous areas as distinct entities, that have a total population of 325 million people. Arabic speakers are sought-after by many corporations that deal with the Middle East, by armed forces, and by intelligence agencies. Fluency in Arabic opens up some special career opportunities not open to others, so it is sensible to study Arabic. Not only that, but the Arab people are also very social and friendly and love to talk with new people. Having the ability to talk the native tongue of their countrywill convert a nice trip into an incredible one.

Arabic , however , though, can be difficult to learn. The majority take one glance at the written Arabic script and realize that they could never learn it. It is , however , not sophisticated and can be easily internalized with a couple weeks of full-on practice. The pronunciation system is harder, with Arabic having a lot of sounds that are not found in many other languages and are sometimes difficult to reproduce and differentiate between. It's best to learn these sounds by imitating a native speaker.

Arabic is also challenging because it is so set-apart from English and other Indo-European languages. As a Semitic language, Arabic's grammar and morphologyis absolutely different from that which you are doubtless used to. The verbal tense system is quite different, the syntax is dissimilar, and there are few cognate words between English and Arabic. Learning Arabic isn't an informal affair, it actually requires some discipline as the vast number of new ideas and information can be overwhelming.
Maybe the hardest task is Arabic diglossia. Diglossia is the utilization of two separate sorts of a language by nativespeakers of a single language. The language that's an official language around the Arab World is Modern Standard Arabic, which is the formal literary language that is a modern adaptation of the Classical Arabic of the Koran. This language is utilized in newspapers, media broadcasts, formal speeches, and the like. But all around the Arab World there are various spoken dialects of Arabic that are not the same as Modern Standard Arabic. These dialects are the native tongues of Arabs. All these dialects developed from Classical Arabic, but they can differ widely from one another. In general, the wider the geographic space between 2 Arabic-speaking areas, the more different the dialects are. There is sometimes quite a formidable language barrier between two native speakers of Arabic.

The secret to successfuly learning Arabic is to learn Modern Standard Arabic as your foundation, and on top of that base learn a spoken dialect. Some folk counsel you study Egyptian spoken Arabic as it is widely comprehendeunderstood due to the prevalence of Egyptian TV and flicks. But I suspect this is flawed thinking, because although you could be understood, you won't understand the other person, who will talk in his local dialect. I recommend that you study the main dialect of the nation or region you are most inquisitive about, or will interact with the most. If you're in the USA army and may be transferred to Iraq, then naturally Iraqi Arabic is the smart choice. If you'll be volunteering for an aid organization in the Palestinian territories, then I recommend Palestinian Arabic. If at some point in the future you'll be visiting or living in another area of the Arab World, then Modern Standard Arabic will serve as your foundation, and with a little bit of mental exercise you should be able to make sense of the local dialect, if not perfectly then at least for basic communication. If you're only going on a trip to an Arabic country and don't plan on studying long term or on moving to the region, then studying a bit of that state's spoken vernacular is perhaps the only way to go.

Learning Arabic is difficult on a number of levels. But for those with a deep interest in the Arab World, Arabic is an interesting and rewarding language whose wonders will motivate you to conquer all those obstacles. For those that want to learn Arabic to open up career options, Arabic is a rare ability that's in demand by varied companies and in certain professions. If you have the patience and dedication to gain fluencyproficiency, it will surely worth the effort.

 

Billy Bobb is an avid traveler who has spent a year living in the Middle East. He has also spent many years studying the Semitic languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic. His website Middle East Museum features editorials and information about the Middle East, such as this profile of all countries of the Middle East.


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