Why all expats should learn Arabic language
To speak Arabic fluently, students will need to complete 650 hours and eight books at our centre.” Mahmoud Bay, The Mother Tongue Center
Learning the basics of the Arabic language is important for expats living and working in the UAE, as it will immensely help them in their daily lives and careers, experts advise.
Mahmoud Bay, academic supervisor at the The Mother Tongue Center, told Khaleej Times why it is crucial for expats who do not speak Arabic, to put in the effort and learn the language.
He explained that the Arabic language — among the top five most spoken languages in the world — goes back thousands of years and is linked to incredible culture, religion, tradition, heritage and history.
“Chinese, English, Hindi, Arabic and Spanish are the most languages spoken in the world and it is very important to learn Arabic if you are living in the Middle Eastern region.”
He said the best way for expats to learn the language is to start with classical Arabic. “Classical Arabic has been the language of knowledge for over 1,500 years, and if one learns classical Arabic, they can go back to books that were written in the pre-Islamic period and still understand what was written, because the language never changed.
“It was written in the same way back then as it is written today, whereas other languages have changed throughout history.
“You will be able to return to books that are more than 1,500 years old, because the language and the grammar are the same,” added Bay.
He said that anyone who wants to learn the Arabic language and doesn’t know where to start from, needs to begin by learning the basics.
“At the centre, we teach classical Arabic, which is the format or the formal language that is used in media, newspapers, books and in governments.
“We start by teaching this and provide books to help teach expats all the important elements — so they can start speaking Arabic.”
The most important aspects in learning basic Arabic for expats should be words that cover daily life, activities and hobbies, he explained.
“This will help them interact with others if they travel to an Arabic country, for example, or if they work with Arabs.”
Bay said that after the students learn the basics, they can move on to specialised Arabic — for diplomatic and business usage.
However, he said prior to learning Arabic, one must first understand the Arab culture. “Students need to learn how to read and write basic Arabic words, and most importantly, understand the Arab culture.”
Meet and greet
“When expats arrive in the UAE from the West for example, it’s vital for them to learn about the culture and heritage of the Emirati society — to understand that the Arab culture is not necessarily the same as Western culture. This also helps with the basics of Arabic.”
Bay said expats can quickly learn how to communicate and greet in Arabic, after one or two lessons — or two hours a class.
“With more effort and lessons, they will begin to advance in the language and can express themselves better.”
Learning the Arabic language can be done, but in a step-by-step process, he stressed.
The centre teaches basic Arabic, pre-intermediate, intermediate and advanced levels; each level also has books and hours the students must complete.
To communicate and speak to people in basic Arabic and be able to express themselves, students should attend three classes a week, two hours each class, and within five weeks or so they will be able to easily communicate and express themselves in Arabic, Bay said. To speak Arabic fluently, students will need to complete 650 hours and eight books. “They will then be fluent in Arabic and read books and newspapers, watch Arabic television programmes and easily understand spoken Arabic.”
Bay said many students from all backgrounds come to the centre because they simply have an interest in learning the unique Arabic language. “We have a student from each nationality that lives in Abu Dhabi, including Salvador, Honduras, Kenya, China, South Korea and Germany.
“But the majority of our students are from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, France and India.”
Bay pointed out that the top reason for expats learning the language is because it immensely helps them in daily life and work.
“Some students study Arabic because they are interested in the culture, whereas some have already studied Arabic before and enjoyed it, so they want to continue and become fluent.
“The majority of the expats here are learning Arabic because it helps them a lot in their careers. Around 70 per cent of the students learn Arabic for work, and 30 per cent due to their interest in the culture and language,” he added. Nonetheless, students love learning the language because they believe it is unique and fundamentally linked to culture and history.
Arabic dialects
Mahmoud Bay said the Arabic language has more dialects than one can imagine, which is why it is important to learn the standard, classical Arabic first.
“We have many dialects in the Arabic language, some are very popular and understood by most Arab people, especially the Egyptian and Syrian dialects.
“But some dialects might be very difficult and different to understand, such as Moroccan, Tunisian and Algerian.”
The Iraqi dialect is also closely linked to the Gulf or the Khaleeji dialect.
“Most students prefer to learn the classical Arabic language, instead of learning a dialect from different countries, which can be more difficult.
“There are many dialects, and that is why it is important to first learn the classical Arabic, so it can be understood by most,” he added.
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com