Job Discussion Forums

[007]

[trapezius]

Egyptian Arabic (or actually the way Egyptians speak Arabic) sounds very base and uncivilized. That's just my opinion.

As for the different dialects, this should be helpful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic

Here is a small excerpt yo get y'all interested:

[Mia Xanthi]

If ghost comes to the Dhahran/Dammam/Al Khobar area, there is an excellent private teacher in Al Khobar who gives month-long classes in intensive Arabic. It's costly, though - I think about 1400 SR ( over $350 US) per month.

[veiledsentiments]

[trapezius]

[veiledsentiments]

[007]

"The terms Egyptian Arabic and Masri are usually used synonymously with "Cairene Arabic", the dialect of the Egyptian capital. The country's native name, Maṣr, is used locally to refer to the capital Cairo itself. Similar to the role played by Parisian French, Masri is by far the most dominant in all areas of national life. While it is essentially a spoken language, it is encountered in written form in novels, plays, poems (vernacular literature) as well as in comics, advertising, some newspapers and transcriptions of popular songs. In most other written media and in TV news reporting, a standard register of Classical Arabic is used. The Egyptian vernacular is normally written in the Arabic alphabet for local consumption, although it is commonly transcribed into Latin letters or in the International Phonetic Alphabet in linguistics text and textbooks aimed at teaching non-native learners."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Arabic

[Mia Xanthi]

I would agree that Egyptian Arabic is not to Fusha what Ebonics is to standard US English. Fusha itself (Modern Standard Arabic) is based on the varieties of Arabic spoken in Baghdad, Damascus, and Cairo. All three are considered to be "respected" varieties of Arabic. It's actually more reasonable to say that the relationship between Cairo Arabic and Fusha is somewhat like the relationship of American English to British English.
I had better explain what I meant when I said that Fusha is based on these three varieties. As there is in France, the Arab world has a sort of "language committee" of respected academics who make decisions about what is and what is not considered to be part of Modern Standard Arabic. Most of the members are from the long-established academic communities in Baghdad, Cairo, and Damascus, and thus these varieties have strongly influenced Modern Standard Arabic.

[goteach99]

Jasmin,
Learn Arabic because you want to. It will be of no help in getting a job nor will it be very useful in the Kingdom. Everywhere you go you will interact with workers that will speak English. It may be useful in forming personal relationships with Saudi nationals. You can study Arabic at home and just use the opportunity to use it when you find yourself in an immersion environment.

I agree that you will probably not be allowed into the kingdom to study and there are many inexpensive places to study.

Good luck with your future plans and I think you are on the right path to interacting and making friends in an arab culture.

Johnny

[desert date]

[lall]

There's a language centre by the name of Kalimat near Mustapha Mahmud mosque on Gamaat El Dowal El Arabia Street in Mohandessein, Cairo.

Their website is www.kalimategypt.com

Regards,

Lall.

[ghost]

[veiledsentiments]

You're expecting a few hours a day of lessons for $350 a month? Really?

VS

[trapezius]

It could be anywhere from 7 hours to 28 hours.

[SR. 50/hr to SR. 200/hr]

[desert date]