Courtesy photo: Nour Qushair
Everyone knows that learning a second language opens business opportunities. The more languages you can speak, the more people you can interact with and the more marketable you become. So, it’s no surprise that I decided to learn Arabic during my years here at UAH. What may shock you is why I traveled halfway across the world to my hometown of Amman, Jordan and did not speak any of what I learned in my Arabic classes.
As an English speaking Arab, my dream was to learn Arabic. My parents, fluent in English and Arabic, sprinkled Arabic words every now and then around the house. When we traveled to Amman to visit family, I would grasp a few additional phrases, but, for the most part, we spoke English to one another. When I discovered that UAH offered Arabic courses, I was quick to sign up. Walking into class, I realized just how unique (and confusing) the Arabic language truly is. The words my parents spoke around the house were never mentioned. The handful of common phrases I knew was considered incorrect. I had much more difficulty memorizing certain Arabic words than students who knew no Arabic. In fact, all the other Arabs in my class encountered the same problems. You would think it would be the opposite, right? Someone who knew a little bit of the language would find the class easier than someone completely unfamiliar.
The reason for this phenomenon is Fusha (Fus-ha), or formal Arabic. This is what was being taught in the classes at UAH. This is an extremely rewarding language to learn as the entire Middle East uses it… but they only use it in certain times. Fusha is utilized in classrooms, government offices, and the workplace. Once an Arab leaves work, Fusha goes out the window and is replaced with Ammiya, on Arabic dialect which differs based on geographical location. Some dialects are completely unintelligible to other Arabs. For example, a Jordanian would not be able to understand a Moroccan dialect and vice versa. That is why Fusha is an essential tool in the Arab World as it is it the only form of Arabic that remains consistent throughout the entire Middle East. It is mostly a written language but in cases like traveling to an area with a different dialect, it is not uncommon to speak Fusha.
In MGT 301, I was introduced to the differences in business culture throughout the world. Unlike Americans, Arabs have little to no separation in personal and professional lives. For this reason Ammiya (Ah-mi-ya), although still considered slang, is very much utilized in the business world. A Fusha speaking individual can certainly conduct business in the Middle East, but he will always lack that personal connection with Arabs. Because of the vast differences in dialects, it is most beneficial, at least from a business standpoint, to know the most widely spoken local Arabic dialect. Fortunately, Jordanians speak the Levantine dialect, the second largest dialect in the Middle East. I decided it would be incredibly beneficial as a business major to expand on my knowledge of my inherited Levantine dialect. This way I could use Fusha when necessary but also connect on a more personal level with potential employers. And, what better way to practice my dialect than to travel to an area where the residents speak it daily?
This summer, I spent a shahr, or month, in Amman and spoke minimal English and Fusha. I was determined to speak only the Levantine dialect. Entering Amman, I knew this was going to be difficult. The airport was full of Arabs from different parts of the region, and I was no longer able to differentiate a Levantine dialect from a Gulf or Egyptian dialect. The questions customs officials asked me went in one ear and out the other. I had to explain that I was an American so they would speak a language I understood. And based on that one interaction, I lost all hope of learning Levantine.
After speaking to my grandparents and other relatives in dialect, I realized it was not hopeless, but I needed to start small and interact with familiar people who knew I was a beginner, then branch out to strangers. The first week I strictly spoke Arabic dialect to my family members. Our conversations were shallow and went around the lines of, "ya, I like this television show too", or "let’s go out for dinner tonight." But after a week of trivial talk, I ventured to approach strangers. At the neighboring gym, I would ask if anyone was using the machine or if I could use the machine after them. From then on, the conquests became bigger, and I became more comfortable with the language. Sometimes, a stranger would suspect I was local. Other times, people guessed I was an American. Although, I am not a fluent Arabic speaker, I acquired an ample amount of words and phrases in the short time I was in Amman. There are a lot more "shahr"s where that came from and, with a few more trips to Amman, I believe I can conquer the colloquial.
