Learn the difference between Modern Standard Arabic and the Arabic dialects
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Intro |
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| Michael: How different is Modern Standard Arabic from the regional Arabic dialects? |
| Atra: And are they mutually intelligible? |
| Michael: At ArabicPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Ben Lee, a college student in Cairo, becomes confused upon hearing an unfamiliar phrase. He asks his friend, Farida, |
| "What does "izzayyak" mean?" |
| ما معنى كلمة "إزيك"؟ (mā maʿnā kalimat "ʾizzayyak"?) |
| Dialogue |
| Ben Lee: ما معنى كلمة "إزيك"؟ (mā maʿnā kalimat "ʾizzayyak"?) |
| Farida Fahmy: .معناها "كيف حالك" بالعامية المصرية (maʿnāhā "kayfa ḥal-uk" bilʿāmmiyyah al-miṣriyyah.) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Ben Lee: ما معنى كلمة "إزيك"؟ (mā maʿnā kalimat "ʾizzayyak"?) |
| Michael: "What does "izzayyak" mean?" |
| Farida Fahmy: .معناها "كيف حالك" بالعامية المصرية (maʿnāhā "kayfa ḥal-uk" bilʿāmmiyyah al-miṣriyyah.) |
| Michael: "It means "How are you?" in Egyptian Arabic." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: The Arabic language, or |
| Atra: اَلْعَرَبِيَّة (alʿarabiyah) |
| Michael: has around 30 modern dialects, including Modern Standard Arabic or MSA. In the Arab world, MSA is what’s used in journalism and broadcasting and is what you’ll most likely hear on the news and in some official speeches. You can say that it’s the linguistic glue that bonds the different Arabic cultures. It’s the literary standard across the Horn of Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East. It’s also one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Modern Standard Arabic, or |
| Atra: اللُغَة العَرَبِيَّة الفُصحى الحَديثَة (al-luġah al-ʿarabiyyah al-fuṣḥā al-ḥadīṯah) |
| Michael: stems from Classical Arabic, which is commonly found in religious texts. It is said that the Arabic language didn’t enter the modern period until the dawn of the 19th century. Even though Modern Standard Arabic is the literary standard in the Arab world, it’s not the dialect that the Arabic-speaking people use in their everyday lives. For one, MSA has a much more complicated grammatical structure than spoken Arabic. Spoken Arabic also has words that are distinct to certain dialects. In Egyptian Arabic, for instance, when greeting a man, you can say |
| Atra: هاي, إزَّيَك؟ (Hi, ezzayyak?) |
| Michael: which means “Hi. How are you?”. In Levantine Arabic, the same greeting is |
| Atra: مَرحَباً، كيفَك؟ (Marhaba, kifak?) |
| Michael: In Modern Standard Arabic, it becomes |
| Atra: مَرحَباً, كَيْفَ حالُك؟ (Marḥaban, kayfa ḥalk?) |
| Michael: The most important difference between MSA and other Arabic dialects is that MSA has a much more complicated grammar, while dialects simplify grammar and pronunciation rules to make everyday conversations simpler, shorter, and easier. One advantage of learning MSA, however, is that it offers learners a unique insight into Arabic culture. And, even if it is not widely spoken, MSA is understood by most people in the Middle East |
| Atra: الشَرق الأَوْسَط (al-šarq al-ʾawsaṭ) |
| Michael: and North Africa. |
| Atra: شَمال أَفريقيَا (šamal ʾafrīqya) |
| Michael: On the other hand, learning a dialect, like Egyptian Arabic or Levantine Arabic, for instance, is very practical because it’s what you will use in a normal conversation with local people. It’s also the language of the street and is easier to practice. It is also much easier to find exciting videos, music, and shows in dialects, making it more fun and engaging to learn them. |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: They say the Arabic language is what unifies the Arab world, but, with all the different Arabic dialects, how do Arabs understand each other? As we’ve discussed, the Arab world’s Modern Standard Arabic coexists with several spoken languages, or |
| Atra: عامِّيَّة (ʿāmmiyyah) |
| Michael: These spoken languages or regional dialects of every Arab nation all have the same foundational structure, which originates from classical Arabic. However, they differ widely in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Egyptian Arabic is undoubtedly the most popular of the Arabic dialects. It has been popularized since the thirties through the charm of Egyptian movies. For most of the Arab countries, this dialect is the easiest to understand. Some Arabic speakers also use what’s referred to as “white language,” |
| Atra: لُغَة بَيْضاء (luġah bayḍāʾ), |
| Michael: which is an adaptation of Modern Standard Arabic. It’s not a new language but an adjustment in speaking style that Arabic speakers use in order for them to be understood by speakers from a geographical region that’s very different from their own. Two possible countries that would use this style are Algeria, |
| Atra: الجَزائِر (al-ǧazāʾir) |
| Michael: and Syria |
| Atra: سوريا (suryā) |
| Michael: Meanwhile, speakers from countries that are closer geographically and linguistically don’t need to use this form of code-switching, such as in the case of Arabic speakers from Egypt and Palestine. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Atra: !سلام (Salam!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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