What are some good tips for learning Arabic?
Arabic is a Semitic language that first emerged in the 1st to 4th centuries CE. It is now the lingua franca of the Arab world. It is named after the Arabs, a term initially used to describe peoples living in the area bounded by Mesopotamia in the east and the Anti-Lebanon mountains in the west, in northwestern Arabia and in the Sinai Peninsula. Arabic is one of those languages that’s considered extremely difficult for English speakers to acquire, right up after Japanese. Chinese and Pashto. Any book that promises mastery in months is lying; more accurate is the common teachers’ adage “Seven years to learn it, a lifetime to master it.”
From the many encouraging options that set your learning in motion, I hereby present a few of those that are most effective!
Every learner must be aware that there are many forms of Arabic that exist! Make your learning selection wisely!
Arabic is called diglossic by linguists. This means there’s one form for reading and writing and another form for conversing. The written version (called Modern Standard Arabic, MSA, or Fusha) is consistent across the Arab world, however, the spoken dialects vary between regions and countries. Teachers refrain from educating interested learners about the diglossic nature of the language simply because they do not want you to be discouraged. However, it is very important for you to know because it will help you prepare yourself to know what realm you are stepping into!
Select and stick to a dialect
Most beginning classes for foreign students are in Modern Standard Arabic for day-to-day usage. However, you need to start studying a dialect early on to improve your natural listening comprehension.
Do not ignore Modern Standard Arabic
A learner with sharp listening skills may be able to pick up the basics of a dialect easily. However, it could prove challenging to a student whose learning style uses the writing of words because there are not enough study materials on dialects! Either way, MSA brings some solace to all students wrt fluency. Studying MSA enables you to read magazines, use dictionaries etc. And once you get the logic and part of the language, you can make more educated guesses in dialect.
Using simplistic means to learn better
Improvise.
Lack of cognates to help! Aside from coffee (qahwa) and algebra (al-jabr), there aren’t many English-Arabic cognates. This means you have to get extra-creative to make the vocabulary stick in your brain. Improvise on mnemonics to match an Arabic phrase to something wacky for example say, “My fish feel loose” (mafeesh fulus), which means “I have no money” in Egyptian dialect.
Use flashcards
Arabic is a language beyond words! You can never confine it to a vocabulary set! The more you know, the more you realise is coming! The vocabulary also varies on whether you’re reading a newspaper or listening to a sitcom. Capture all words you hear on a flashcard because it sure will be back in some form!
Stay away from complicated vocabulary!
While Arabic bags the title of most beautiful poetic language, yet, for normal day to day usage Arabs prefer a simplistic approach to expressing yourself with this Language!
Set realistic goals for yourself one at a time!
Remind yourself why you are pursuing Arabic! Do not lose track of the vast vocabulary. You could be learning it for business purposes or speaking to your friends, or your better half or to read poems, discover Arabic history..select your goal and work towards it. Then pick another, and so and so forth.
Memorizing!
Try memorizing complete phrases instead of just words!
Let magazines, newspapers, blog articles in Arabic become your resources to select set phrases with particular meanings for building your vocabulary, including some interesting, fun idiomatic phrases and expressions in whatever dialect you’re studying. Learning a phrase will make you sound more fluent—and fills up much more conversational space than a single literal word. We also recommend using mnemonics to add to learning delight! The best part, lots of dialect phrases rhyme, and this make them easier to remember. For example, Al-haraka baraka, as the Egyptians say—all progress is good.
More than just polite greetings, utilize the phrases to make a whole conversation out of them
The Arabic Language has set of Arabic phrases or expressions for every possible occasion, and niceties in Arabic, go well beyond please and thank you. Hashak, for instance, is for “when a bad smell comes out of you.” But that’s just one of its kinds from a vocabulary full of synonyms!
Find a conversation partner
If you don’t have a native speaker in and around your neighbourhood, take full advantage of online resources to find yourself an Arabic speaker you could practise with online, through multiple online language exchange programs. italki for example is a really good resource- you could get teachers as your conversation partner. Natakallam is another great program,
Headsup!
When Google Translate is no longer your best friend!
While an English to Arabic, translation may lead you in the right direction, Arabic to English, is something you must refrain from.
Speakup!
This applies to every foreign language! But it’s especially true for Arabic, in which all the grammar rules and weird words can easily terrify you into silence. Native Arabic speakers are the world’s most enthusiastic supporters of language students. Even a broken few words will likely earn you praise and encouragement to keep going!
Finally,
Remember, no language is easy to learn. There are no shortcuts. The best you can do is to invest your time, efforts and commitment over a consistent schedule, without getting deterred by small failures! Success will follow you only if you are able to genuinely connect to the language with all your heart.