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Moving from standard Arabic to a dialect | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| pfn123 Senior Member Australia Joined 5084 days ago 171 posts - 291 votes  Speaks: English* | Message 9 of 14 11 January 2012 at 10:14pm | IP Logged | ||
You can use a programme such as WavePad to edit the audio. I often find that language courses contain English directions and information (like the Teach Yourself books), so I use WavePad to cut away the unwanted parts. That way, I'm left with the target language dialogue without interference. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Talib Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6662 days ago 171 posts - 205 votes Speaks: English*, Arabic (classical) Studies: Arabic (Egyptian) | Message 10 of 14 11 January 2012 at 10:54pm | IP Logged | ||
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Thanks a lot. I think wavepad is going to be helpful in editing down the courses.
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| Talib Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6662 days ago 171 posts - 205 votes Speaks: English*, Arabic (classical) Studies: Arabic (Egyptian) | Message 11 of 14 29 January 2012 at 2:16pm | IP Logged | ||
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I would recommend against downloading that software.
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| Mikael84 Bilingual Pentaglot Groupie Peru Joined 5301 days ago 76 posts - 116 votes Speaks: French*, Finnish*, English, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Arabic (classical), German, Russian | Message 12 of 14 29 January 2012 at 6:28pm | IP Logged | ||
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Really interesting thread for me. I have been learning MSA for about 3 years and moved to a dialect (Levantine) a little over a year ago.
I would say the crucial things when making the transition from MSA to dialect are: - focus on the spoken language and practice, practice, practice! It sounds obvious considering dialects are spoken, but I made the mistake early on of focusing too much on theory and grammar rules (like memorizing that "imta" = "mataa" or that "faata = dakhala" or the use of "3am" to indicate present continuous). With a dialect *more than with MSA*, the key is to get plenty of exposure and force yourself to speak. Of course getting exposure without understanding anything won't accomplish much so you need transcripts. Sites like GLOSS or this one http://langmedia.fivecolleges.edu/culturetalk/arab_levant/ are very useful. I also recommend this blog: http://thearabicstudent.blogspot.com/ - the main stumbling block in dialects aren't the words that are completely different from MSA. Those can be memorized easily... The real problem is with words that are the same as in MSA but pronounced differently. Bad news: most words are like that. Especially the small transition words which can be almost imperceptible when a dialect is spoken quickly ("3alaa" becomes "3a", "ilaa" becomes "la", etc). In Levantine I had (still have actually) a lot of trouble with short words that have at least one "q". Not prouncing the "q" makes the word sound radically different. "I read", "qara'tu" in MSA, becomes something like "'irit". Same for "qultu" and others... "haqiqiy", "true", becomes something like "hayiyiy"... - more so than with MSA, it is necessary for you to interact with someone in dialect. Find a friend or better yet, a teacher. Or travel there/move there. Believe me the interaction part is absolutely crucial... - patience! It takes a lot of time. Yes, the grammar is easier than in MSA, but you are going to have to invest a lot of time. It will take dozens of hours of listening for your ear to get used to it. So, considering you're in for a long ride, make sure you find ways of enjoying the process... - do not forget to learn MSA. Dialects and MSA overlap a lot. Improving in MSA will make you improve in dialect and many times improving in dialect will make you improve in MSA... Edited by Mikael84 on 29 January 2012 at 6:29pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Mikael84 Bilingual Pentaglot Groupie Peru Joined 5301 days ago 76 posts - 116 votes Speaks: French*, Finnish*, English, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Arabic (classical), German, Russian | Message 13 of 14 29 January 2012 at 10:01pm | IP Logged | ||
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One more thing that came to mind:
- don't neglect the correct pronounciation of short vowels, which can be quite different from MSA. I used to discard it as a detail, something I would pick up effortlessly and quickly... far from it. It's easy to neglect them because in Arabic script they're never written. But if you think about it they're just as important for correct pronounciation and understanding as any consonant. So pay special attention, for example, when the "U"s of MSA become "I"s in Levantine (qultu -> 'ilit, etc) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| pfn123 Senior Member Australia Joined 5084 days ago 171 posts - 291 votes Speaks: English* | Message 14 of 14 30 January 2012 at 5:37am | IP Logged | ||
Really? Why? I hope you haven't had any problems. I use the programme and it's fine. Is everything all right? 1 person has voted this message useful |
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