learn arabic

I’m now learning how to write Arabic. Other people serving in Morocco tell me it isn’t important to learn to read and write Arabic. Just to speak it (or one of the Berber languages). But since my opportunities to hear Moroccan Arabic are limited (and opportunities to hear Berber are non-existent) right now, I am learning some MSA vocabulary, and it helps to be able to read the script.

Plus, I find learning the script fascinating. I am an artist, so I am attracted to calligraphy. The challenge of learning to write makes it fun.

Also I’ve been doing the lessons at LiveMocha, and they involve recognizing the words even with the very very tiny letters that that the browser uses to represent Arabic.

I’ve met a couple of Moroccan lads on LiveMocha and this may lead to some opportunities to learn a few phrases, especially very common things. Right now I’ve only done text chat so far and mostly using English or French. Text chat with Arabic is way beyond my present stage because I’m like a kindergarten child, still learning the alphabet. Maybe later I can use voice chat and then I can learn some Darija.

Slowly, I am getting into this. LiveMocha is good, though I find tutorials on learning the script to be totally absent. I’ve sent away for some books on the script, because I’d like to know it before I get to Rabat. I’m not so concerned about Arabic itself, because I know I’ll be learning Darija. For those unfamiliar with these details, Darija is a variation of a dialect. The North African dialect is one of five major forms of colloquial Arabic.

To be literate, I must also learn Classical written Arabic, but I’ve been told that French is used more than Arabic for business communications. My main reason to learn it would be to impress people, and I’m not sure that’s necessary for me to be successful in my work. Respect is more important than admiration.

So for now, I do the listening and speaking exercises and ignore the reading and writing exercises. I am using LiveMocha for French as well as Arabic.

So it’s a start. A toe in the water. shwiya b shwiya (little by little).

I signed up for Beginning Arabic on LiveMocha.com. So far, I haven’t had much time to go there, but I’m resolved to do better.