Archive for 'Arabic Language'
Arabic Connected Speech: What Gets Assimilated? Posted by Ibnulyemen اِبْنُ اليَمَن on Apr 20, 2017
When people speak, it is common that certain sounds get assimilated, dropped, or blended. In English, for example, “does she” is pronounced as “dushee” in connected speech. In Arabic, the most common assimilation and/or dropping occurs with the definite article ال and with the alif of imperative tri-consonantal verbs (i.e. verbs that have a root…
The great extent of diversity in Arabic Posted by Hanan Ben Nafa on Apr 19, 2017
Every Arabic learner probably had to face the fact that Arabic is not a single language and there is a high variety: Standard Arabic, and a low variety: regional dialects, more than 20 of them. Today, we are using a short video that illustrates, very well, the great extent of this diversity. It shows…
A Saudi Security Guard Woman with Ambition Posted by jesa on Apr 18, 2017
Marhaba! Today I have another beautiful and inspiring story from the Arab world and in particular from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. What makes this story even more amazing is that it discusses another new milestone for women in Saudi Arabia. I know that many dear Arabic lovers will enjoy learning more about this important…
Special Arabic Occasions: What they are, What to Do and Say in them? Posted by Ibnulyemen اِبْنُ اليَمَن on Apr 15, 2017
Certain linguistic expressions are associated with specific cultural and religious occasions. For example, “Happy Easter!”, “Joyeuses Pâques!”, and “Frohe Ostern!” are expressions said in special occasions in English; French; and German, respectively. Among the most culturally celebrated, congratulation-invoking, and religiously observed occasions among Arabs (and Muslims) are Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-AdhHa, Ramadhan, and Friday of…
Arabic Graffiti Posted by aziza on Apr 14, 2017
Graffiti (الغرافيتي) is the art of writing and drawing on walls. It usually serves to deliver a social or political message. The art is very common in the Arab world where social and political problems affect the lives of millions and where the freedom of expression margin is very narrow. I remember as a child…
Learn Arabic vocabulary for 30 mins Posted by aziza on Mar 31, 2017
Today, I present a nice video I found on YouTube which I will use with my daughter over the weekend. I like the video so much because it is very useful and easy at the same time. It is a list of words in Modern Standard Arabic which are related to everyday life and which…
Arabic Definiteness: Formation, Meaning, and Assimilation Posted by Ibnulyemen اِبْنُ اليَمَن on Mar 30, 2017
Typically, nouns and adjectives in most languages are made definite by articles. ‘the’; ‘le, la, les’; ‘die, der, des’ are the definite articles in English, French, and German, respectively. In Arabic, nouns and adjectives are made definite using ال which is appended to the beginning of the word, as in these examples: مَدِينَةٌ جَامِعَةً حِذَاءً…