36 Culture: Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and the Arabic dialects

In the videos that will be shown, people from all around the Arab world will introduce themselves. They will begin by speaking in Modern Standard Arabic, which is a standardized form of the Arabic language used in written communication and formal speech. Then, they will then switch to their local dialect, which is the unique form of Arabic spoken in their specific region or country. This will allow you to hear the diversity of the Arabic language as it is spoken in different parts of the Arab world.

As is common, in this course, we will refer to “spoken Arabic” or “vernacular” or “Egyptian,” on the one hand and “FusHaa” or MSA (Modern Standard Arabic) on the other.  In fact, scholars in the field of socio-linguistics who study “code-switching” actually find that in actual discourse, people rarely speak in “pure” forms of vernacular or MSA.  Rather, discourse is on a continuum, ranging from very idiomatic vernacular, to elevated words and syntax that you would use in writing (just as you speak differently to your siblings and best friends, than you do to a stranger or how you speak to a professor in class).  The famous Egyptian scholar of linguistics El-Said Badawi, author of the monumental “A Dictionary of Egyptian Arabic”, identified a continuum of 6 different levels of Arabic, each with discernible, predictable and subtle adjustments educated speakers made depending on context.

Here are some words that will be used in the introduction.

You do not need to learn all the different vernaculars for the different regions, of course, but you should be aware they exist.  The good news is that many of these dialects are more similar than different (Lebanon/Palestine/Jordan/Syria are quite similar, for example).  Because Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab world and is an entertainment center for television, film, and music, Egyptian Arabic is readily understood everywhere.

Extra: Read Edward Said’s classical article “Living in Arabic.”

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