A Lesson in Arabic: Simple Dialogue

Today we have a video lesson! It isn't too long, and you may get a bit of a laugh out of my friends and I doing the dialogue at the end.  I surprised them shortly before I filmed to let them know they would be pretending they know Arabic.

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions!

The previous post I mention in the video can be found here.

Special thanks to Kelly and Amanda for their amazing acting skills and looking like they knew what they were doing.

A Lesson in Arabic: Useful Words and Phrases

After people ask me about the language, they usually want to know some words and phrases.

My roommate's personal favorites are habibi (my darling) and telling people when I am fii al-hamam (in the bathroom).

I made you a chart of a few useful words and phrases. I included the English, Transliteration, and Arabic of each word or phrase.

English	Transliteration	Arabic
Hello.	Ahlan or Marhaba	اهلا  or  مرحبا
How are you?	Kayfa Halouk/Halouki.	كيف حلك؟
My name is…	Ismi…	اسمي
What is your name?	Ma ismouk/ismouki?	ما اسمَك
Nice to meet you.	Tasharuffna	تشرّفنا
Thank you.	Shokran	شكرا
Congratulations!	Mabrook	مبارك
I’m sorry.	Aasif.	آسف
I don’t understand.	La afham.	لا أفهم
Yes	Na’am.	نعم
No	La.	لا
Goodbye.	Ma-Salaama	مع السلامة
Happy Birthday!	‘Aed Meelad S’aed	عيد ميلاد سعيد
My darling	Habibi/Habibiti	حبيبي
Life	Hayat	حياة

Some pronouns that would be good to know are:

English	Transliteration	Arabic
I	Ana	أنا
You (singular masculine)	Anta	أنتَ
You (singular feminine)	Anti	أنتِ
He	Huwa	هو
She	Heya	هي
You (dual male or female)	Antuma	أنتُما
They (dual male or female)	Huma	هُما
We	Nahnu	نحن
You (plural masculine)	Antum	أنتُم
You (plural feminine)	Antun	أنتُن
They (plural masculine)	Hum	هُم
They (plural feminine)	Hun	هُن

Here are some question words you can check out as well. For this I put the English then the transliteration.

When?	Meta?
Where?	Ayna?
How?	Kayfa?
Why?	Leematha?
What?	Ma? or Matha?
Who?	Men?

Some more things you should know about Arabic words:

1. You address males and females differently. For example, in 'How are you?' you ask a man using 'halouk' and a female using 'halouki.'  Words that end in -i are used for women and no vowel or -a is for men.
2. In the present tense, the verb 'to be' is not used, it is understood.  So if I want to say 'I am American', I would say 'Ana Amrikaya' (literally translated to 'I American').
3. There are two words for 'what'. 'Ma' is used for questions without verbs and 'Matha' is used for questions with verbs.
4. Plural pronouns are used in the masculine form if there is one or more man in the situation. Dual pronouns are used for 2 people and plural pronouns are used for 3 or more people.
5. Transliterations with a 'u' like 'hum' is pronounced like a long 'o' in English. Ex. 'hum' is pronounced like the English 'whom.'

Some additional resources for you are:
Arabic Phrases and Expressions
Learn Arabic with Maha

I leave you with a video from Maha about Arabic Pronouns.

If there is anything you would like to know that I forgot or did not include, let me know.

A Lesson in Arabic: Dialects

Ahlan Sadeeki.

Before we begin the lesson on words and phrases, I want to talk about dialects.

There are many Arabic dialects.  While many may be similar, others are very different.  There is Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as well as colloquial dialects.

I am familiar with MSA and Egyptian dialects as well some some Moroccan and Tunisian.

The map shows the breakdown of dialects in the Middle East and Northern Africa.

Map of Dialects - Click to enlarge

Note that Egyptian Arabic is more popular than this map shows.  From what I have learned, as well as other students studying this area, Egyptian Arabic and MSA are the most widely understood dialects.

MSA is used for reading and writing and in formal situations such
 as the news or  the Quran.  It is typically understood, but isn't really helpful for conversations.

It is suggested you learn a dialect as well as MSA.  The dialect will help you converse and MSA will help with reading and writing.

Keep in mind, if you talk in a different dialect it may be understood, but you aren't necessarily going to be answered in the same dialect.

Many dialects were influenced by other languages in the area.  Moroccan Arabic, for example, was influenced by Spanish, French, and Berber.

I found this interesting blog post from a couple years ago where one person talked about their experiences with different dialects in the Middle East.  It gives you a good first hand perspective.

The websites Importance of Languages provides some useful pages about MSA and where to find certain dialects.

Another resource you can use is by YouTube user, LearnArabicwithMaha. In this video she explains Standard Arabic and Dialects.

Now that you have a better understanding of the dialects, in the next post I will teach some useful words and phrases. Many of the words I will teach you will be in Modern Standard Arabic, but I have still heard them used in conversations (such as yes and no).

If there is anything in particular you would like to learn, let me know.

Teaser for Your Next Arabic Lesson

Here is a music video for you, Habibi Ya Nur Al-Ein. Listen to this catchy number that everyone studying Arabic must be familiar with.

Don't know what they're saying? No worries. Next post, I will teach you useful words and phrases - some that you can hear in this song.

Get excited, folks!

Listen to this enough, and you'll be singing and dancing along in no time!

A Purpose and Some Research

Marhaba! (Hello)

I've run into a lot of questions about why I study the Middle East.

Kelly, Lindsay and Me (right to left) outside one of the Smithsonian
Institutes when we were in Washington D.C. to present research.

This became a serious interest of mine in my freshman year at Mercyhurst.

Basically, I am good at picking up languages so I wanted to put that to good use with a more difficult language. I also hate the generalizations made about Muslims and the Middle East, so what better way to work against the stereotypes than to immerse myself in this subject.

I created a minor, took classes, found Arab stores in Erie, and practice Arabic with friends. I try to involve this in everything I do.

I am always sharing my experiences with friends and inviting them to join me at the market, get dinner, do henna, etc. Sharing these opportunities with others and starting the conversation helps foster understanding among cultures.

An additional project I do involving the Middle East is my research.  I have spent more than a year and a half researching the portrayal of Muslims in the media and presenting my findings.

My friends Lindsay, Kelly and I began this research together.  We analyzed news from American news sources and eventually grew the project into an analysis of Muslims in international media sources.

We presented our information at the Eastern Communication Association's (ECA) annual conference and at the University at Buffalo.  Our first study was also published in the University of Alabama at Birmingham's online journal Human Communication.

We will be attending ECA's conference again this year in Boston, MA.

The research definitely showed some interesting results and we have come a long way. If you want to know more, feel free to ask questions about the results or the topic in general.

I hope this answers some questions for you and you learned a little bit about myself as well.

Ma-Salaama! (Goodbye)

The Hardest Languages to Learn

I found this chart online and was very interested in it.  It looks at the hardest languages to learn for English speakers.  It also explains how much work needs done to learn the language.  Take a look!




Via: Voxy Blog


2,200 class hours for Arabic? Off to study on my Rosetta Stone...

A Lesson in Arabic: Part 1

Ahlan.

A lot of people ask me to explain how the Arabic language works.  If friends have these questions, I'm sure other people do too.

Today I'm going to begin teaching you the alphabet and some basics.  Later I will teach you useful words and phrases.

Alphabet - Click on for bigger picture.

Above is the Arabic alphabet with the pronunciation of each letter's name.

Some basics you need to realize are:

1. Arabic is read right to left. Numbers are written left to right.
2. There are many sounds in Arabic that we don't have in English and vice versa.  For example, there is no 'p' or 'v' sound in Arabic, so 'b' and 'f' are frequently used replacements when putting an English word/name into Arabic.  
3. There are quite a few Arabic letters that sound the same, but are very different.  These include س / ص, ط / ت, د / ض, ك / ق.
4. There are long vowels and short vowels.  The long vowels are ا, و, ي.  They make the sounds for a long 'e', 'o', and 'a' (respectively).  The letters ي & و double as consonants as well.  Short vowels are damma - ُ , kasra - ِ, and fatha - َ.  They make the sounds for a short 'o', 'e',  and 'a' (also respectively.)
5. There is also a letter called hamza (ء).  This letter signifies a glottal stop.  An example of this would be the sound the vowels make when you say the word 'water' without the 't' - wa'er.
6. A final basic to cover is taa marbuta (ة).  This comes at the ends of words. It is pronounced at 'aht', but many times the 't' sound is dropped.  The 't' is pronounced when it is in a possessive case.  Commonly the taa marbuta signifies feminine forms of words.

Arabic is written similar to how we would write cursive.  Many letters have what is called an initial, medial, and final position.  Some letters also do not have a medial position and cannot connect to letters that come after it.

Positions of each letter - Click on for bigger picture

It is a lot to take in at once.  If you have any questions feel free to ask.  If it helps, you can also check out this video.

Challenge: Watch this video and try to learn the alphabet that way.  When I started learning Arabic, my professor had us try to sing along with this Arabic equivalent to Sesame Street.  See if you can do the same.

For the record.

Ahlan sadeeki. Hello my friend.

Happy April!

First, I thank you. I'd like you to know that I love that you're reading the blog! If there is absolutely anything you'd like to see or talk about then leave a comment or email me - I am open to anything, so don't be shy.

In the past week, I have received so many responses about my picture against discrimination.  Not only was it liked, commented on, and shared on Facebook but I also had a lot of people talking to me about it in person.  My Arabic professor actually told his students and the chair of the world languages department about the photo.  When he saw me, he continued to express his appreciation.  Who knew that something I was actually hesitant about posting would get so much of a positive response! Moral of the story: don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in.

One last story to leave you with, a couple weeks ago I was at work when this man came in with who I believe was his son.  I've seen the man before around campus and he has helped me with Arabic before, other than that I really haven't talked to him.  He brought his son up to me and introduced him and the boy greeted me in Arabic. After that, I had a small conversation with the man and his son and the boy showed me his reading skills in Arabic.  It is a simple story, but it definitely made my day.  Being able to communicate with people in Erie in Arabic is not something that happens frequently.  I appreciate every chance I get.

Next time I post I will be issuing you a challenge - I hope you're up for it!

Here's to Henna, the Souq, and New Friends

Maggie mixing up her Henna hair dye.

I'm not sure how Friday fell into place.  It wasn't supposed to be "Middle Eastern night," it just kind of happened.

Let me start with a little background. My friend Maggie and I took Spanish together in high school and then after we graduated we lost touch for a little bit. Then over the summer, we got back in touch and find out we are both studying Arabic and the Middle East.

Thus starts our Middle Eastern night.

Part 1. Dinner.

The adventure started in a simple manner at Casablanca Grill, a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurant in Erie.  Here we filled ourselves with dolma, couscous, and other delicious foods . . .when my shoe broke.
The one man who works there came to my rescue and repaired in a way that it is actually better than before.   Thanking him in Arabic spurred a surprised look and a conversation.  He asked us about what we studied and suggested places Maggie should visit when she goes to Jordan this summer.

A side note. I mayyyyy have taken the bottle of Laziza, a Lebanese drink, that I had for my beverage. It had Arabic on it and I was very excited. I feel like the employees at the restaurant probably think I'm a little crazy.

After dinner, and a short game of volleyball at the beach, we were off to the mall so we could find clothing for Maggie to wear in Jordan.

Part 2. A shout out to new friends.

In the mall, we passed a rather large group of women our age wearing hijabs.  We joked about asking them what Maggie should wear...little did we know...

I was standing outside of Maggie's dressing room as two of the girls walked in.

After much debate about what Maggie should wear, I took the plunge.

"Hi, could you help us really quick," I said to one of the girls. "My friend is going to Jordan this summer and she doesn't know what to wear."

She was eager to help us, along with all of her friends who were within ear shot.

Maggie's hair as we let the dye sit.

They continued talking about what we study and told me I could pass as Arab. (I'm not sure I see it, but they would know best, right?)

Part 3. Al-Souq (Market), Henna and Hair Dye
Maggie and I then went to Sara's Market to get some henna and ended up leaving with henna hair dye as well.

Back at my apartment, we started by dying Maggie's hair of course!  Which may have been the biggest adventure of the night.

My lovely, green-splattered bathtub.

After mixing the powder (which smells like tea) with vinegar and water, letting the mixture sit, and wetting Maggie's hair we were ready to get dying.

I'd like to issue a disclaimer that we had no idea what we were doing. We debated whether we did this right, since it looked like the swamp thing attacked Maggie. But we continued on our mission to dye her hair.

I sat over her, who was all but sitting in the bathtub, working this gritty mixture in from the roots to the tips of her hair.

While the dye was soaking into her hair we decided to see how well we did at decorating our feet with henna.

Maggie decorating my foot.

This was our first time doing this as well.  We did look up some designs on this website, but for the most part we stuck to swirls, dots, and practicing our Arabic.

For beginners, I think we did pretty good...

My designs on Maggie's foot.

So there you have it, our Middle Eastern adventure. Full of some great first time experiences.

In case you were wondering, we ended up leaving the hair dye on for about an hour instead of the recommended three. Her hair is definitely darker, and we are still debating whether it has a greenish tint to it or not.

Also, if you have any suggestions that could possibly improve our henna skills, I would love to hear them!

حب و سلام
Love and peace.

For your viewing pleasure...

This is the Official Coca-cola World Cup song by K'naan. He collaborated with many artists and put the song in different languages. I got my roommate addicted to the Arabic version. Enjoy!

Your passion will find you in the strangest places

Much of my family came from middle of nowhere Tennessee.  It was one of those towns between the hollers that has been all but abandoned at this point.

We were driving farther and farther from Nashville to see my dad's cousin, Sally*.  It was going to be another fun-filled day of trekking around cemeteries to explore our family history...I couldn't wait.

Typically, Sally and her significant other, Jim, have at least two grandchildren staying with them at any time, but today they had an additional boy. 

He was about 3-years-old and was staying with them while his grandparents, who were in the process of becoming his legal guardians, were out of the country.

After hours of walking around cemeteries with the sun beating down on us, we headed to a diner to eat.  As if   we did not already attract enough attention (the entire town knew we didn't belong), the little boy running around the restaurant added to the chaos.

My mom and Sally were in their own world, discussing the rambunctious child. That's when I heard it...

"We have trouble talking to him. His grandparents usually speak Arabic to him, so he understands that better than English."  My family immediately looked at me.

"Say something to him!" they coaxed.

I didn't know what to say. He was running around the restaurant, who says he wouldn't have ignored me anyway.

"Ya Isaac!" That was it. I yelled his name in a way that you get someone's attention in Arabic. But it worked.

My "little brother" and me as we talked.

He stopped dead in his tracks and just turned to look at me. Everyone was silent.

Now he knew my secret, and I knew his.

His cousin Annie carried him over to me, but he hid in her shoulder.

"Hello," I said to him in Arabic. "How are you?"

No response.

"I really like you."  That was it! He giggled. He understood and he responded.

"What did you say?!" Everyone wanted to know what just happened in our secret language.

"I told him I liked him."

For the next hour and a half we played together and talked.  I explained to him who my family was and as he repeated the words back I knew he understood.  He obeyed when I asked him to hand me something. And he tested me on my colors, only to move on once I got it correct.

Everyone prepared to leave.

"How do you say nice to meet you?" my brother asked.

"Tasharufna.**"

He knew what I said. It was almost the time where he had to leave me and it was clear that he was not happy. 

As I started to walk away from our table, I felt someone grab my hand.  There he was, determined to leave with the person who he thought at this point had to be his sister. 

We went to our separate cars and he was unresponsive to everyone saying goodbye.

"Ma-salaama!" I yelled to him.

"Oh bye!!" He perked right up as he waved bye to the girl who spoke his language.

*Names have been changed.

**My spelling in transliteration is not the best, I apologize.

What are the odds of this happening?  I only hope I get to see this precious boy again someday.

Have a story where your passion found you? Share it with me :]

Laying the Foundation

I was in tenth grade when I told my parents that I wanted to learn Arabic. They gave me a look that said, "uh huh, have fun with that, Alicia" and proceeded to tell me how difficult that would be. After that moment I gave up the idea.

Life always has a way of working out though.

I am a college student studying Communication and Middle Eastern Studies in Erie, Pennsylvania. Whenever I tell people what I study, I get a variety of reactions. Many curious for more information and others disgusted at the thought.  Thus the purpose of this blog.

I don't claim to be an expert on everything Middle Eastern - I'm simply a student who sees a need for bridges to be built between cultures and will go out on a limb to make that possible.

Now comes the fun part, we talk.  About personal stories, music, books, current issues, the language, and anything else.

So let's get the ball rolling...