Arabic is one of the world's major vernaculars, and fluency in Arabic is a talent that is's in high demand. With the continuing significance of the Middle East for both security purposes and for energy resources, the West will continue to have interests in and communication with the area for a long time. But Arabic is not limited to the Arab nations of the Middle East. It is also spoken thru North Africa, and some bits of east Africa and even subsaharan Africa. It is the national language or one of multiple official languages in twenty-five countries, and twenty-six if we distinguish Israel and the Palestinian autonomous areas as different entities, with a total population of 325 million people. Arabic speakers are in demand by many companies that deal with the Middle East, by armed forces, and by intelligence services. Proficiency in Arabic opens up some special career opportunities not open to others, so it is valuable to study Arabic. Not to mention that the people of the Arab world are warm and hospitable and love to welcome visitors. Being able to speak the native tongue of their countrywill turn a pleasant holiday into a fantastic one.

Arabic , however , though, can be a challenge to get good at. Most people take one glance at the Arabic cursive script and realize that it's impossible to learn. It is not complex and can be simply learned with a fortnight of consistent practice. The pronunciation system is more of a challenge, since Arabic has a number of sounds that are not found in many other languages and can be difficult to reproduce and tell the difference between. These sounds are best learned by copying a native spokesperson.

One more difficulty in learning Arabic is that it's so different from English and other Indo-European languages. As a Semitic language, Arabic grammar and morphology is completely different from that which you are probably used to. Verb tenses work differently, the syntax is different, and there are not many common words and word roots between English and Arabic. Learning Arabic is not an informal affair, it really requires focus and ambition because the vast amount of new concepts and information can be overpowering.


Maybe the greatest challenge is Arabic diglossia. Diglossia is the employment of two differing varieties of a language by nativespeakers of a single language. The language that is an official language around the Arab World is Modern Standard Arabic, which is the educated written language that is directly adapted from the Classical Arabic of the Koran. This literary language is utilized in newspapers, news broadcasts, formal speeches, and the like. But all over the Arabic world there are a number of spoken dialects of Arabic that are not the same as Modern Standard Arabic. These dialects are the everyday vernaculars of Arabs. All these dialects developed from Classical Arabic, but they can differ widely from each other. Generally speaking, the wider the geographic distance between 2 Arabic-speaking towns, the more the dialects differ. There is often quite a formidable language barrier between two local speakers of Arabic.

The secret to learning Arabic is to learn Modern Standard Arabic as a foundation, and also learn a spoken dialect. Some people counsel you learn Egyptian colloquial Arabic because it is widely comprehendeunderstood thanks to the prominence of Egyptian television and flicks. But I believe this is defective thinking, because even though you may be understood, you will not understand the other person, who will talk in his local dialect. I like to suggest that you learn the primary dialect of the nation or region you are most curious about, or will interact with the most. If you are in the US military and might be moving to Iraq, then naturally Iraqi Arabic is the smart option. If you will be doing aid work in the Westbank, then I suggest Palestinian Arabic. If at some point in the future you will be visiting or living in another area of the Arab World, then Modern Standard Arabic will serve as your foundation, and with a bit of mental flexibility you should be able to understand the local dialect, if not proficiently then at least for everday communication. If you are just going on a visit to an Arabic country and do not plan on studying for the long-term or on moving to the area, then studying some of that state's colloquial dialect is perhaps the best way to go.

Learning Arabic is difficult on a variety of levels. But for people with a deep interest in the Arab World, Arabic is an interesting and rewarding language whose wonders will motivate you to conquer all those difficulties. For those that want to learn Arabic as a career asset, Arabic is a rare ability that is in demand by diverse companies and in certain professions. If you have the patience and commitment to gain fluencyproficiency, it will definitely 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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