Slaama-Alaykum (Hello)

I feel in the course of my blogging I’ve left out a few essential elements of this experience, or only mentioned them briefly when they really deserve a full entry. Therefore, I’m going to make the effort today to talk about the Arabic Language and why I choose to study it. Here are a few fun facts about the Arabic Language:

- There are several “types” of Arabic: Classical Arabic, the language of the Q’ran (the holy book of Islam), Modern Standard Arabic, which is the official language of 22 counties- This is what I am learning, and what most Arabic newspapers and books are written in. Additionally, there are Arabic dialects that differ vastly from region to region. Moroccan Arabic is nearly incomprehensible to someone who speaks Iraqi Arabic. In Morocco, classical Arabic is known as “Fus-ha” and everyday Arabic is known as “Da-ree-ja”

- There are 28 letters and various symbols in the Arabic alphabet, some of which have no English equivalent. A chart of the alphabet is below. As you can see, one single dot can make a big difference! 

-Arabic is written right to left, and the letters connect to one another depending on the letter that precedes them. There is no “cursive” or “print” script, since letters are connected basically the same way weather they are typed or handwritten.

-Arabic calligraphy is some of the most beautiful writing in the world. Since most Muslims believe that icons (images of animals or people) should not be in places of worship, holy sites are decorated with passages from the Q’ran written in beautiful script. 

-When Arabic words are pronounced, they include short vowel sounds such as “a, e and o”. These vowels care called the “fat-ha” “Damma” and “Kasra”. When words are written, these vowels are usually left out. To use an English example that is like printing the word “cat” without the “a”- it could be pronounced cat, cut, or cet. Part of learning Arabic is learning to read the words in the context to understand the meaning.

As this is now my third semester of language class, I’ve started to grasp most basic words and grammatical structures. I can communicate simple concepts and talk about myself and my family. Studying the language is both fun and frustrating, and an accomplishment that I am quite proud of. My time here has encouraged me to continue studying this beautiful language.  

My Homework