Gulf Arabic in a nutshell
| Gulf
Arabic is hereby defined as the dialect of Arabic native to the
Arab nationals of the Gulf countries, such as the United arab Emirates (UAE), The State of Kuwait, The Kingdom of Bahrain,
The State of Qatar, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, most of Southern Iraq (around Basra) and to a lesser
extent The Sultanate of Oman. It is not a written but a spoken, colloquial language. Literary
Arabic, also called Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) which is used
in the press, on TV, radio, etc. and in governmental official
proceedings, is not spoken colloquially by Gulf Arabs. In day-to-day
affairs, Gulf Arabs use their mother tongue - Gulf Arabic. |
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About
the Gulf Arabic Online course for Beginners - GulfArabic.com
In order to make good progress, you should start first with the
section on pronunciation. Keep the mouse pointer over an earphone
icon until the recording of the Arabic phrases or words is over.
No need to click. No translation to the words is given in this
first section, since that is not important at this stage. Try
to imitate the words you hear as closely as possible.
You should then proceed to working on V.2.x ('x' standing for
the second digit in the designation) and G.2.x Then, V.3.x, and
G.3.x, etc.
Only parts of the course are available to non-members. Registration
is free, so feel free to sign up, and have your access codes sent
to your e-mail address right away (check you Bulk folder as well!).
Tips
on how to learn Arabic
Setting
out to learn Arabic may evoke memories of past attempts at learning
a foreign language, be it in high school or college, with all
the ensuing tedious memorization of words, and phrases, and grammar
rules. This coupled with the notion that Arabic is a very difficult
language won't do you any good in your progress with this beginners'
course. For many, it appears that the results of studying a foreign
language are not worth all the effort, and they soon abandon their
dream of becoming more proficient.
It is very important to know how to go about studying a language,
especially one that is quite different from English (or any other
European language, for that matter), such as Arabic. Every student
has a different way of learning just as different proffesors have
different ways of teaching. Nevertheless, there are a few rules
of thumb one has to keep in mind:
Create a routine. Spend some time on the web at a set hour of
the day (lunchtime, for instance), and try to do one of the language
activities at GulfArabic.com
Set yourself a long-term goal, and also a short-term goal. If
you have Arab friends, then a short-term goal would be to think
of exchanging a few Arabic phrases the next time you meet them, that is, speak Arabic to them.
The long-term goal might be to learn the whole study material
included in this Spoken Gulf Arabic course and visit one of the Gulf
countries (if you're not already there). Without strong, well-defined
goal, you will hardly have much motivation to study day in, day
out.
You shouldn't worry too much about making mistakes. The ones who
never make mistakes, never try to do anything, and that in itself
is quite a mistake. It's normal to make mistakes while you are
practising your growing knowledge of the language. Have in mind
that most Arabs will be very pleased with your attempts to speak
their language, and you will get a bit closer to them, perhaps
more so than other foreigners who do not try to learn at least
a few phrases.
It is of utmost importance to read about the Arab people, the Arab culture
and history. The more you get to know the culture, the more your
interest will be aroused, and the more motivation you will have
to proceed with the Gulf Arabic course.
It is better to study for brief periods of time and more frequently
than long and not often. Persistence pays off.

Studying lists of words and phrases is usually not the most favourite
language activity. However, there is no learn ing without memorization.
You have to learn those phrases by heart. There is a wonderful
method you can employ in order to facilitate the memorization
process. For every new spoken Arabic phrase that you want to learn think
of a ridiculous image that would make you recall the phrases.
The trick is to always think of funny images. Emotions will help
you more than pure logic when it comes to learn ing words and
phrases.
Practice mentally. Think of the Arabic words and phrases for naming common
objects you encounter in your daily life. When you're walking
on the street, for instance, think "sayyaara" when you see a car,
"fundug" when you see a hotel, "naas" for people, "rayyaal" for
a man, "Hurma" for a woman, etc. etc. Just put the words and phrases
you're studying to mental practice, even if you are not in an
Arabic-speaking environment; this will enormously help you to
learn faster.
Listen to the bits of recordings in the colloquial Arabic lessons looking
at their English translations, and try to imitate them as closely
as possible. Do this as many times as you have to until you are
fully confident. You might find it hard at first but it pays off
when you get to speak Arabic. Everybody is a child in the beginning.