Saudi Arabic and US slang make for a rising YouTube star American Shannon Munyan explains her love affair with the language in this exclusive interview with Arab News
What is even more daunting, however, is the fact that there are myriad dialects of the language. So just when you think you have learned Arabic in Saudi Arabia, you will discover that the Emirati, Bahraini or Syrian variations are substantially different. If you resort to learning classical Arabic — the lingua franca of choice in most language schools — you will stand out as a foreigner in no time. In fact, dialects are key in creating a sense of comfort a nd instructor,” she said.
“When my teacher moved away in 2013, my lessons came to a halt but I practiced Arabic with my friends and on social media. I’m lucky to have great people around me.”
To the native ear, Munyan’s Arabic is not perfect but, to be fair, it is not her mother tongue.
Difficulty arises when it comes to the pronunciation of certain words but then again, who uses the phrase “tayer men alfar ha’a’” (I am flying with happiness) — from a Saudi song — to express happiness? Only a Hijazi.
Fans flock to her YouTube channel to hear her opinions and learn English slang.
“My YouTube channel started out of my love for education and entertainment,” she said. “I wanted to make a YouTube show that was fun, interesting and educational. The show ‘American Slang’ was born out of my desire to act more and also practice editing and translation.”
She also found time to publish her first book, “Al-A’ameeya Al-Amrekeeya” (American slang) which was published by the Dubaibased Madarek Publishing House, and maintains her Arabic blog, Lahjaty.
“I had been getting a lot of questions about the same phrases over and over so I realized that it would be useful to create a sort of database of information that people could not get anywhere else,”
JEDDAH: “Learning Arabic is so difficult!” It is an oftrepeated phrase heard from expats who are trying to master the language.
she said.
Munyan also created an educational app, Al- A’ameeya Al-Amrekeeya, that is primarily in Arabic and provides more than 1,000 English expressions translated into Arabic.
“We are so humbled and grateful for the response to our app,” she said. “It was ranked second in the top paid apps for Saudi Arabia during its release week and with the update coming out, we hope it will continue to do even better.”
She also revealed plans for future digital ventures.
“We are working on a framework that will allow English learn- ers to test their slang and get answers to their questions more quickly than by booking lessons with me on our website, which is currently the default route for people who need more personalized help,” she said.
“Honestly, when I came to Dubai seven years ago, I knew nothing about the Gulf or Arabic language, culture and traditions,” she said. “I will say that I am grateful to know amazing people from many different countries.”