One of the reasons Arabic is so difficult is that most schools teach formal Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), but Arabs almost universally speak in dialects that are substantially different. Quality resources for these dialects are hard to come by. If you're a visual learner who needs to see explanations laid out on paper, likes to understand grammar, and looks up new words in dictionaries, Arabic dialects pose a formidable challenge.
So I was thrilled to stumble across a blog called The Arabic Student, which offers mini-lessons in Levantine dialect by walking through audio or video clips. Each lesson contains a transcript with a glossary of new words and, more importantly, how they are used.
The most recent post is great, and might be of interest even for the non-native speakers: a study of an anti-Bashar al-Asad chant/song that is circulating in Syria. Bonus: learn some useful nuts and bolts of the Arabic language, like the difference between "screw you" and "F*** you".
So I was thrilled to stumble across a blog called The Arabic Student, which offers mini-lessons in Levantine dialect by walking through audio or video clips. Each lesson contains a transcript with a glossary of new words and, more importantly, how they are used.
The most recent post is great, and might be of interest even for the non-native speakers: a study of an anti-Bashar al-Asad chant/song that is circulating in Syria. Bonus: learn some useful nuts and bolts of the Arabic language, like the difference between "screw you" and "F*** you".
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