Being half Arabic, I have always been captivated by the appearance of the language. The delicate strokes and expert penmanship of many a calligrapher have captured my attention in museum displays and mosque walls.
Even when I was unable to make any sense of the words I would still stare at them, trying to garner some meaning by feel alone. The language was in my blood and that gave me a connection to it.
I half remember Arabic conversations spoken around me at meal times in Bahrain. The fact that I spent most of my time in my early years with my English mother, meant that my understanding was not strong and my productive skills even weaker.
My name means ‘successor’ in Arabic, my skin and hair are not fair like my mother’s. Yet in spite of my physical appearance and the name that I bear, I can barely string a sentence together in the language.
However, living in Saudi Arabia for a year back in 2012 allowed me to improve. With the help of a Syrian colleague I prepared for the Saudi venture by learning the basics. I have intermittently kept up with the pursuit of this language while also trying to master Turkish, the language of the city I live in now, Istanbul. In this blog I will try to document my learning process and encourage you, if you are interested, to undertake one with me.
Learning a language, any language, is a great activity, but one that requires time and dedication. I am yet to master any language apart from my own to a high level of fluency. In trying, I have learnt many things about the way I learn and what I can do to help others learn the language I teach as part of my job. That language is English, but Arabic as a ‘world’ language is up there, with over 400 million speakers. Learning Arabic can be considered rewarding and worthwhile in at least the fact that it allows you to take on a new linguistic perspective shared by hundreds of millions around the globe.
Follow the Arabic Feed lessons on youtube in the link, for a look at the basics.
Our first lesson focuses on the Arabic alphabet:
arabicfeed 