Learn the similarities between Arabic and Hebrew
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Intro |
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| Michael: Is Arabic similar to Hebrew? |
| Nora: And are they mutually intelligible? |
| Michael: At ArabicPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Ben, an American college student, accidentally overheard some people speaking. He is confused because what he heard sounds familiar, but he doesn't fully understand it. He asks the friend who is with him, |
| "Is that Arabic?" |
| هَل يَتَكَلَّمونَ العَرَبِيَّة؟ (hal yatakallamūna al-ʿarabiyyah?) |
| Dialogue |
| Ben Leeهَل يَتَكَلَّمونَ العَرَبِيَّة؟ (hal yatakallamūna al-ʿarabiyyah?) |
| Farida Fahmy:.لا، إنَّهُم يَتَكَلَّمونَ العِبرِيَّة (lā, ʾinnahum yatakallamūna al-ʿibriyyah.) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Ben Lee:هَل يَتَكَلَّمونَ العَرَبِيَّة؟ (hal yatakallamūna al-ʿarabiyyah?) |
| Michael: "Is that Arabic?" |
| Farida Fahmy:.لا، إنَّهُم يَتَكَلَّمونَ العِبرِيَّة (lā, ʾinnahum yatakallamūna al-ʿibriyyah.) |
| Michael: "No, it's Hebrew." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In this lesson, we'll discuss the relationship between the Hebrew language, or |
| Nora: العِبرِيَّة (al-ʿibriyyah), |
| Michael: and the Arabic language, or |
| Nora: العَرَبِيَّة (al-ʿarabiyyah). |
| Michael: In order to understand the relationship between Hebrew and Arabic, it's important to first understand the origin of each language. Both Hebrew and Arabic belong to the Semitic language family, a branch of the larger Afro-Asiatic language family. To be more specific, Hebrew is a Northwest Semitic language, whereas Arabic, on the other hand, is considered a Central Semitic language. However, despite this difference, the related origin of these languages results in several shared characteristics. |
| Michael: On the subjects of vocabulary, vocabulary structure, and pronunciation, for example, there are many shared elements between the two languages. To begin, let's briefly touch upon the related vocabulary. Take the word |
| Nora: يَوم (yawm), |
| Michael: for instance, which in Arabic means "day." One can find that the Hebrew equivalent is almost identical. Similarly, there are several other words between the two languages that may not be the same but are still very much alike. As an example, consider the word for "peace," which in Arabic is |
| Nora: سَلام (salām). |
| Michael: The Hebrew equivalent is similar but sounds a bit more like shalom. |
| Michael: On that note, there are also many similarities when it comes to pronunciation—which native speakers, as well as advanced-level language learners, should be able to notice quite easily. There are vowel sounds, for example, that appear in both Hebrew and Arabic, which are not found in English or other European languages. |
| Michael: In addition to vocabulary and pronunciation, both languages also share a root system for creating words. In Arabic, most words are built from a system of three- and four-letter roots. These root letters are then put into a pattern, with added vowels and consonants, which thereby determine the meaning of the words. |
| This is very similar in Hebrew, so when you see words that have the same three- or sometimes four-letter roots in them, those words will most likely be related in some way. |
| Michael: Yet another similarity between the languages can be seen in the sharing of some alphabetical letters. For example, the first letter in both alphabets has the same name: |
| Nora: ا (alif). |
| Michael: Lastly, one final similarity which we'll mention is that both languages use a script without voweling signs. In both languages, voweling signs are only added for learners or when necessary to disambiguate a word. |
| Michael: Given all the similarities, when it comes to the basic structure and characteristics of each language, there are also some noticeable differences. |
| The Arabic alphabet has 28 letters, for example, whereas the Hebrew alphabet has 22. Hebrew and Arabic are both read from right to left, but Arabic letters are joined in a cursive format, whereas letters are not joined in Hebrew. |
| While each language also has its own unique dialects, the way the standard form of each language is used is slightly different. Modern Hebrew is the standard language taught and spoken in Israel—and differs from liturgical Hebrew, such as Ashkenazi Hebrew. Arabic, on the other hand, has a standard version known as Modern Standard Arabic, and also has a wide range of dialects, such as Levantine Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, Gulf Arabic, and Central Asian Arabic. Unlike Modern Hebrew, however, Modern Standard Arabic is mostly a literary standard used only in limited settings, such as news broadcasting, or literature. Consequently, Arabic dialects are as important as Standard Arabic for actually being able to communicate with people from different Arabic speaking countries. At ArabicPod101.com, we include series in Modern Standard Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, and Moroccan Arabic. |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the sample conversation: respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how Ben Lee says "Is that Arabic?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Nora as Ben Leeهَل يَتَكَلَّمونَ العَرَبِيَّة؟ (hal yatakallamūna al-ʿarabiyyah?) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Nora as Ben Leeهَل يَتَكَلَّمونَ العَرَبِيَّة؟ (hal yatakallamūna al-ʿarabiyyah?) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Nora as Ben Leeهَل يَتَكَلَّمونَ العَرَبِيَّة؟ (hal yatakallamūna al-ʿarabiyyah?) |
| Michael: And do you remember how Farida Fahmy says "No, it's Hebrew?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Nora as Farida Fahmy:.لا، إنَّهُم يَتَكَلَّمونَ العِبرِيَّة (lā, ʾinnahum yatakallamūna al-ʿibriyyah.) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Nora as Farida Fahmy:.لا، إنَّهُم يَتَكَلَّمونَ العِبرِيَّة (lā, ʾinnahum yatakallamūna al-ʿibriyyah.) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Nora as Farida Fahmy:.لا، إنَّهُم يَتَكَلَّمونَ العِبرِيَّة (lā, ʾinnahum yatakallamūna al-ʿibriyyah.) |
Outro |
| Michael: As we have seen, Arabic and Hebrew have many similarities but also several differences. As a result, the two languages are not mutually intelligible, meaning that native speakers of each language are not able to understand the opposite language without having first studied it. Nevertheless, those that study both languages will be able to notice and benefit from the many common points that they share. |
| Michael: That's all for this lesson. Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Nora: !سلام (Salam!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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