This is part two in the series “Arabs Say…” featuring Arabic speakers from around the Arab world who gives their views on their language and how it is used today. Of course, we should keep in mind that these are personal views and do not represent the views of everyone in their countries. Still, we can learn a lot about the overall linguistic situation and some commonalities and regional differences.
I think the only situation when we write our dialect is when we're chatting or on social media posts. And some companies use it in their ads so that everyone can understand. Other than that, we don't write it for professional purposes. When it comes to the spelling of words, if we're spelling it in Arabic letters, then it's easy for us since it's not an official language, so it doesn't have an official spelling. We can write it the same way we speak it, and it can differ from one person to another without losing its meaning. And we are also used to chatting in Romanized letters.
I think the only situation when we write our dialect is when we're chatting or on social media posts. And some companies use it in their ads so that everyone can understand. Other than that, we don't write it for professional purposes. When it comes to the spelling of words, if we're spelling it in Arabic letters, then it's easy for us since it's not an official language, so it doesn't have an official spelling. We can write it the same way we speak it, and it can differ from one person to another without losing its meaning. And we are also used to chatting in Romanized letters.
I write my dialect all the time in texting and also in social media–not just me, but most people. There is no formal rule on how to spell words because the dialect is not used in education or government documents. People write in different ways because most people will get the message even if you write it in a different way. For example, if you write "win tkoun daba chwia" or "wiin tkun deb chwia "the receiver will get the meaning.
I write my dialect all the time in texting and also in social media–not just me, but most people. There is no formal rule on how to spell words because the dialect is not used in education or government documents. People write in different ways because most people will get the message even if you write it in a different way. For example, if you write "win tkoun daba chwia" or "wiin tkun deb chwia "the receiver will get the meaning.
Yes, I do. When writing a post, or having a chat with someone online, or writing songs, poems, or even writing advertisements aimed at a Sudanese audience. I usually spell words based on how I pronounce them. Sometimes, I tend to use certain letters as they either save time when writing a word or they replicate the pronunciation better.
Yes, I do. When writing a post, or having a chat with someone online, or writing songs, poems, or even writing advertisements aimed at a Sudanese audience. I usually spell words based on how I pronounce them. Sometimes, I tend to use certain letters as they either save time when writing a word or they replicate the pronunciation better.
We write our dialect when we interact with each other through different social media platforms–Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. We spell the words either in Arabic letters or we use what is called Franco Arabic. It is a way of writing invented by young people which means writing Arabic words with English letters. For example, a word like "انا" is "ana". There are letters in Arabic that are not in English, so they are changed into numbers. For example, letter خ is 5, letter ع is 3, letter ش is 4. This phrase "أشوفك بكرة" is going to be in Franco Arabic "a4ofak bokra." It means "see you tomorrow." Some people don't like to use this way of writing. They also feel like it is harmful to our language and that we should use our own alphabet. Others, especially youth, use this way of writing and find it cool.
We write our dialect when we interact with each other through different social media platforms–Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. We spell the words either in Arabic letters or we use what is called Franco Arabic. It is a way of writing invented by young people which means writing Arabic words with English letters. For example, a word like "انا" is "ana". There are letters in Arabic that are not in English, so they are changed into numbers. For example, letter خ is 5, letter ع is 3, letter ش is 4. This phrase "أشوفك بكرة" is going to be in Franco Arabic "a4ofak bokra." It means "see you tomorrow." Some people don't like to use this way of writing. They also feel like it is harmful to our language and that we should use our own alphabet. Others, especially youth, use this way of writing and find it cool.
Yes, it just happens when chatting with friends or family. I just write what I pronounce. I've learned Arabic so well, and Arabic is different from English: in Arabic, you write what you pronounce, not like English where you have to see the word before you know how to spell it... so when we write our dialect, we just write it as we pronounce it.
Yes, it just happens when chatting with friends or family. I just write what I pronounce. I've learned Arabic so well, and Arabic is different from English: in Arabic, you write what you pronounce, not like English where you have to see the word before you know how to spell it... so when we write our dialect, we just write it as we pronounce it.
Yes, indeed. Writing dialects is something popular among the youth in my country. This is extremely used in Social Media websites, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Ticktock, and all chatting programs. The spelling of spoken dialects varies due to the way people speak these words and what is popular among the groups.
Yes, indeed. Writing dialects is something popular among the youth in my country. This is extremely used in Social Media websites, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Ticktock, and all chatting programs. The spelling of spoken dialects varies due to the way people speak these words and what is popular among the groups.
Yes, but I don't usually write it using the Arabic alphabet but with the English alphabet instead, and we call that معرب (Arabicized) Even if I write it in Arabic, I find it really easy to write and spell words. I usually write the dialect when I am sending messages via Whatsapp with friends and family.
Yes, but I don't usually write it using the Arabic alphabet but with the English alphabet instead, and we call that معرب (Arabicized) Even if I write it in Arabic, I find it really easy to write and spell words. I usually write the dialect when I am sending messages via Whatsapp with friends and family.
I write in my dialect using Arabic letters on apps such as Whatsapp, especially when I'm chatting with people from other Arab countries, who tend to write in Arabic letters. When I chat with Lebanese people, I write in the Lebanese dialect using Latin letters and specific symbols, but I tend to switch to writing in English sometimes.
I write in my dialect using Arabic letters on apps such as Whatsapp, especially when I'm chatting with people from other Arab countries, who tend to write in Arabic letters. When I chat with Lebanese people, I write in the Lebanese dialect using Latin letters and specific symbols, but I tend to switch to writing in English sometimes.
Yes, I use the dialect in writing when I chat with Syrian people, but if I communicate with non-Syrians or someone who does not understand our dialect, I use the literary (or MSA) Arabic, to make sure he can understand me. When I am writing in an official or academic situation, I just use literary Arabic. When I communicate with academic people, or in a formal situation, I just use literary Arabic. So I use dialect witing with Syrians and in informal situations.
Yes, I use the dialect in writing when I chat with Syrian people, but if I communicate with non-Syrians or someone who does not understand our dialect, I use the literary (or MSA) Arabic, to make sure he can understand me. When I am writing in an official or academic situation, I just use literary Arabic. When I communicate with academic people, or in a formal situation, I just use literary Arabic. So I use dialect witing with Syrians and in informal situations.
Yes, when I speak to people from my own country, I write my dialect 99% of the time. I know how to spell words because I practically use the dialect a dozen times more than Formal Arabic (Fos-ha). Almost in every situation, I write in my dialect.
Yes, when I speak to people from my own country, I write my dialect 99% of the time. I know how to spell words because I practically use the dialect a dozen times more than Formal Arabic (Fos-ha). Almost in every situation, I write in my dialect.
I usually write in dialect when I'm texting with my friends or family or people from my city. I text them with dialect because I know that they will understand every word I say. But if I decide to text someone from a different city with my dialect, I'm afraid that they will not be able to understand me correctly, or what I say might mean something different in their dialect.
I usually write in dialect when I'm texting with my friends or family or people from my city. I text them with dialect because I know that they will understand every word I say. But if I decide to text someone from a different city with my dialect, I'm afraid that they will not be able to understand me correctly, or what I say might mean something different in their dialect.
Yes, I do, but only when I'm chatting. Writing in dialect for any professional institution or school is considered tactless and disrespectful and won't be accepted. We only use MSA in formal writing. There are no official rules on how to write the dialect, but everyone tends to write words in the same way. However, that does not mean I can make new ways of writing my dialect because we have already established how to write the dialect. But any mistakes are quickly forgiven if people understand. Writing the word the same way you pronounce is one of the unspoken rules. The only other rule is that it is understandable to others. You can add some vowels to exaggerate words, for example, but you can't delete vowels.
Yes, I do, but only when I'm chatting. Writing in dialect for any professional institution or school is considered tactless and disrespectful and won't be accepted. We only use MSA in formal writing. There are no official rules on how to write the dialect, but everyone tends to write words in the same way. However, that does not mean I can make new ways of writing my dialect because we have already established how to write the dialect. But any mistakes are quickly forgiven if people understand. Writing the word the same way you pronounce is one of the unspoken rules. The only other rule is that it is understandable to others. You can add some vowels to exaggerate words, for example, but you can't delete vowels.
The question I have is… if a non-native-speaker purchases, say, a grammar/phrasebook of Iraqi Arabic, should the Iraqi terminology be written out (i.e. شلونك) or should it be Romanized (“shlownik”)? I know that not every letter exists for the various dialects (the Syrian “do you want,” /biddek/ بِدّك comes to mind), but what is the rule here? A textbook/phrasebook of any of the dialects could be considered a “formal context” (and thus would necessitate MSA writing), but if the express purpose is for a non-native speaker (particularly one who is not up to speed on the various transliteration systems) is learning a dialect anyway, should the dialectical phrases be written?
I think that they should, because I hate it when I’m trying to learn how to say something in Syrian (without the benefit of a native Syrian over my shoulder) and read weird symbols in a book. Those can be fine as a supplement to the actual script (particularly in cases where letters are lost, i.e. قاف becoming أ – thus, an entry like “هلق” /hala’/) but I don’t feel that transliterations should exist in books like this by themselves.
Personally, I think romanization (what I call phonemic transcriptions or PT) is invaluable and it’s worth taking the time to learn all of the weird symbols, because, if designed well, the PT system will show you more accurate pronunciation than the Arabic script will. I know a lot of learners think they’re comfortable enough with Arabic script that they have no use for PT, but unfortunately you can’t always tell the dialect pronunciation for Arabic script, and certainly not if it’s not voweled (with tashkeel). I used to teach English as a foreign language, and I’d always make my students learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) because, as you know, English has very irregular spelling and you can’t always guess a word’s pronunciation from its spelling. So it has its purpose. But I’ve seen horrible PT systems, and of course, the problem is that every author or publisher has their own system. So there are no standardized rules, but hopefully a book uses a consistent system–otherwise the PT has little value.
But I also agree that materials should have Arabic script. I know it’s a turn-off to lots of learners if a book for learning Arabic has no Arabic script in it. That’s why I always include Arabic script in Lingualism materials (with one exception, but for good reason I won’t go into right now). And if you make good use of the audio components and mimic the native speakers, you can get pretty far without PT. It really just depends on personal preference, I think.
I do agree with you, and I must also echo your point about consistency. It seems that no two books use the same transliteration (romanization) system, which makes trying to navigate them a bewildering mess. I say, if they’re going to romanize things, they should also provide the Arabic script, but of course that’s not without its problems.
You do pretty good work here with the Lingualism materials. I’m still waiting on that winning lottery ticket so I can pick more up, but I like what I’ve seen (in Arabic vs. Arabic) with transcribing everything and not using romanization all the time.