i'm back from my arabic lesson and my head is really spinning. i don't think it's the caffeine withdrawal either. basically, over the past month my tutor has been switching over from standard/high arabic (fus-haa) to syrian dialect.
the dialect is really a lot different than i imagined it would be. it's not really a different dialect. it's really a different language, with different pronunciation, vocabulary, verb conjugation and grammar. in fact, the only reason it's not considered to be its own language is because of the combined dreams of arab nationalists and islamists. normally the two groups are at odds with one another, but one thing they have in common is the notion that the only proper arabic is the language of the qu'ran/the shared language of the arab people. but the differences are real enough. it's like trying to speak french when you've been studying latin.*
even words i know i don't always recognize when pronounced in the local dialect. supposedly there is an adjustment period for people like me and then it all clicks into place. but i only have two weeks there. is that enough time to click?
i'm not really going anywhere with this post. i'm just venting my frustrations to the cold electrons of cyberspace. you know, the usual.
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* technically, arabic is a diglossic language. if you want to read more exciting things about how diglossia works in arabic read this article.
