Which Arabic Dialect to Study?

Question

I have been learning Modern Standard Arabic and would like to start learning an Arabic dialect. I have a book called "Eastern Arabic: An Introduction to Palestianian Arabic" by Rice & Sa'id.
How well is this dialect understood?

Answer 1

It really depends on the purpose for which you will be using the Arabic you will learn.

Arabs in general are split into 4 groups who speak similar (but not exactly the same) dialects: The Gulf dialects, the Shammi Dialects, the Egyptian dialects, and the North African dialects. Most Arabs can and do understand the Egyptian dialect well because of the large exposure of Egyptian media (songs, TV shows, movies) as well as for the fact that it is the softest of the Arabic dialects and the easiest to pronounce.

Personally I am a Kuwaiti so this is not an advertisement for Egypt :)

Modern standardized Arabic is great for writing but hardly anyone speaks standardized Arabic. It is however used heavily in all aspects of life: newspapers, books, formal documents, food labels, etc... standardized Arabic is also the language of the holy book of Muslims (Quran) and is used excessively in Arabic public schools.

The Palestinian dialect belongs to the Shammi group: Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, and Jordanian. Most people who do not come from that area cannot really tell the difference between the four dialects very well. Needless to say in every country there are variations of the dialects, so not all Palestinians speak the same dialects. For example, some Palestinian people speak very heavy Palestinian accent that is close to Bedwin dialects, while some speak a softer version. Palestinians amongst themselves can probably tell which area in Palestine a person comes from by their dialect.

Essential to learning dialects is knowing its impact on the way people regard the class of people. For example, you will find that in Kuwait, while all local dialects fall under the Kuwaiti dialect, which falls under the bigger category of Gulf dialects, you will find that Bedwins speak a heavier dialect with rougher pronounciation, urbans speak a softer dialect that is influenced heavily by the English language. You will also find that people pronounce words differently based on their origin. For example, urban Kuwaitis who originally came from Iran will pronounce the word for "Sugar" as "Shakir" while other urbans pronounce it as "shukar", obviously both are variations from the word "sugar". Other words that stem directly from the English language are "doctoor" for "doctor", "sister" for "nurse", "koob" for cup, "glass" for "a glass".

Some words are used as is in spoken language in Arabic. For example, most people say "Computer" instead of "Hasoob", which is the standardized word for computer.

Should you require more information don't hesitate to contact me.

Answer 2

I don't know much about Arabic, but here is my general advice based off the regional variation question for the languages I do speak.

- If there's not a particular region that interests you, look for the dialect that is most prevalent or considered to be the most proper/professional. From the comments, it sounds like the Egyption dialect.

- If you're looking to use it for a future career, research what dialects are spoken in the major economic and political centers of the Arabic speaking countries. So, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are arguably the big ones there.

-Finally, since Arabic is an official UN language, research what dialect is used there. This would probably be the most useful for international relations and business work.

Hope this helps to lead you in the right direction. Good Luck.

Answer 3

Hi,
First I congratulate you on the step of moving from standard arabic to a regional dialect.Well Done!
Across the Arab world,the Egyptian dialect is the most widely understood due to lots of Egyptian movies and songs,so that will assure you will gain the highest level of comprehension possible.Like other countries/languages..there are various accents/dialects within egypt as well (for instance people from alexandria have a different accent than those from cairo or sinai).
Other Arabian dialects are great as well and properly understood (you can always resort back to standard if you find a certain word/expression hard in a local dialect).I can speak several arabian accents and I find them all beautiful but if you are going to have to choose only one then, in my opinion, the Egyptian one will be the best choice.Which ever dialect you decide to learn ,I wish you Good Luck! :)

Answer 4

The Arabic dialects are extremely regionalized. It depends on where you want to go in the Arab world as to which dialect you should learn. Palestinian Arabic is useful in Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, but not so useful elsewhere. If you want to go to north Africa, then you should study Maghribi (there is a good grammar of Moroccan Arabic). If you want to go to Egypt, then Egyptian Arabic is best. If you want to go to Arabia, there are a number of different dialects because that is the homeland of the language so there is great diversity on the peninsula. Iraq has its own dialect which is close to the dialect of Syria (for which there is also a good grammar). In the Persian Gulf states you want to learn Gulf Arabic. Tajikistan and Uzbekistan also have distinctive dialects of Arabic. There are also distinctive dialects of Arabic spoken in the Sudan, in Chad, and in Mauritania. So it all depends on where you want to go in the Arabic world.

Answer 5

Ok , The most known dialect in the Arab worl is the dialect of Egypt . The reason are Egyption movies , which are the most important in the Arab world .
After that come 2 dialects :
1-lebones .
2-Syrian .
The Egption dialect is known by 99% of the Arab world .

Answer 6

i am from the Arab Gulf so i speak the arab Gulf dialect..it's really hard to learn. u should try the Egyptian cuz it's easier and more understood. Don't go for the Palestinian..not popular!

Answer 7

The so called Modern Arabic is mainly Damascus and Egyptian..I strongly recommend you the Egyptian dialect.It's more melodic and widely spoken.Best of luck!! salam

Answer 8

These days you can learn how to speak Arabic over the internet. Check out this online course, it's voted as the best Arabic online course of all time: http://www.rocketlearner.com/arabic The course is very easy to follow, I was able to learn Arabic in just 3 months.

I live in New York City, I wanted to go to a Arabic language teacher but that would have cost me over $800 per month. Good thing with this internet, $800 it's a lot of money for me.

Answer 9

derka derka?