17.9 Colloquial and written arabic

Reading

Read this passage, which is from the introduction to an Arabic textbook, and answer the questions.

It is generally thought that Arabic is a single language, spoken, written and understood by people in countries as widely separated as Iraq, Egypt and Morocco, but this is not so. It is only written Arabic (that is, the Classical Arabic of the Koran and the Modern Arabic of contemporary literature, journalism and broadcasting), that is more or less common to the whole of the Arab world. The colloquial Arabic which is spoken in the different Arab societies today differs as widely between Arab countries as do Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. In the Arab world, written Arabic acts as a kind of Esperanto, providing a means of communication between educated people of different Arab nationalities. Written Arabic is, paradoxically, spoken too: on the radio and television, in public speeches, as well as between Arabs from different countries. We could call it pan-Arabic. It is used in rather the same way as Latin was used by educated people in Europe in the Middle Ages.

Even in English, of course, there are differences of grammar and vocabulary between the written and spoken language, but this difference is far less than that between the artificial pan-Arabic and the living colloquial language of any Arab country. Moreover, both written and spoken English are recognised in English-speaking countries as belonging to one living language, and both are taught in schools. Colloquial Arabic, on the other hand, is not regarded by the people who speak it as ‘proper’ Arabic. Unlike colloquial English, it is not taught in schools, and it is not written; indeed, there is a strong feeling in Arab societies that it should not be used in a written form.

The educated Egyptian, then, uses pan-Arabic to talk to equally educated Iraqis, Saudis and Moroccans. No reasonable man, however, wishes to talk like a book or a newspaper, and the language that the same educated Egyptian uses with his family and with other Egyptians is quite different. This language is wholly Egyptian, and it is only spoken.

(adapted from Teach Yourself Colloquial Arabic by T. F. Mitchell, Hodder and Stoughton, 1962)

1. What mistaken view do most people hold about Arabic ?

2. The writer mentions written Arabic, Classical Arabic, Modern Arabic, pan-Arabic, and colloquial Arabic.

   1. Which of these terms mean the same ?

   2. What are the differences between them ?

3. How is pan-Arabic similar to Esperanto and Latin ?

4. What kind of Arabic would an educated Egyptian use for:

   1. making a speech? c) talking to an Iraqi?

   2. talking to his friends? d) writing a letter?

5. How are attitudes to colloquial Arabic different from attitudes to colloquial English ?

Discussion

1. Why do you think colloquial Arabic is so different from written Arabic?

2. What do you think are (a) the advantages and (b) the disadvantages for Arabs of their language system ?

3. In what ways is the Arabic language system similar to/different from the language system in your own country ?

Unit 17 Summary of language In this unit you have learnt how to: talk about similarities and differences say what you have in common with other people say how you are different from other people classify things according to similarities and differences key points Positive and negative ‘agreement’ structures I’ve got a dog. I’ve got one too. So have I. I enjoyed the film. I did too. So did I. I don’t like spiders. I don’t like them either. Nor/Neither do I. I can’t sing. I can’t either. Nor/Neither can I. ‘Myself’ I don’t like spiders. No, I’m not very fond of them myself. I enjoyed the film. Yes, I quite liked it myself. ‘Both’, ‘neither’, ‘either’ We’ve both been to Canada. Both of us have been to Canada. Neither of them knows how to read. Does either of the rooms have a bath ? ‘Both ... and ...’ and ‘Neither ... nor ...’ Both Iceland and Norway are famous for fishing. Neither tea nor coffee is good for you in large quantities. ‘Whereas’ In Mexico they speak Spanish, whereas in Brazil they speak Portuguese.

Unit 18 Obligation