Is Arabic difficult
to learn?
In some ways Arabic is a difficult
language for English speakers to learn. For a start, there's
a different alphabet. On the plus side, though, the grammar
has few irregularities and is relatively straightforward –
far less complicated than Latin and
probably simpler than German, too.
If you speak a European language, the root system of Arabic is an unfamiliar concept.
Arabic words are constructed from three-letter "roots" which convey a basic
idea. For example, k-t-b conveys the idea of writing. Addition of other letters
before, between and after the root letters produces many associated words: not only
"write" but also "book", "office", "library", and
"author".
Learning the vocabulary
may cause problems at first. In most European languages there are
plenty of words which
resemble those in English. Arabic has very few of these but it becomes easier
to memorise vocabulary once you understand the concept behind a
particular root. Knowing a root unlocks the door to knowing the
various words derived from it.
Arabic has many regional dialects, and if you want to
master one of these the only really effective way is to spend a few years in the place of
your choice. For general purposes such as reading or listening to radio
– it's best
to concentrate on Modern Standard Arabic (numerous courses and textbooks are available).
This would also be useful if you're interested in Islam, though you would need some
additional religious vocabulary.
There are 28 consonants
and three vowels a,
i, u which
can be short or long. Some of the sounds are unique to Arabic and difficult for foreigners
to pronounce exactly, though you should be able to make yourself understood.
Words are normally written without any short
vowels. This can occasionally cause ambiguities of meaning but
in practice it's not much of a problem.
The normal word order of a sentence
is verb/subject/object. The function of nouns in a sentence can also be distinguished by
case-endings (marks above the last letter of a word) but these are usually found only in
the Qur'an or school textbooks.
Feminine nouns
add the suffix
aat to form the plural but masculine nouns generally have a
"broken" plural which involves changing vowels in the middle of the word: kitaab
("book"); kutub ("books").
Arabic has very few irregular verbs
and does not use "is" or "are" at all in the present tense: "the
king good" means "the king is good". Subtle alterations in the basic
meaning of a verb are made by adding to the root. These changes follow regular rules,
giving ten possible "verb forms" (though in practice only three or four exist
for most verbs. The root k-s-r produces:
-
form I kasara, "he broke"
-
form II kassara, "he smashed to bits"
-
form VII inkasara, "it was broken up"
Sometimes these must be used with care: qaatala
(with a long "a") means "he fought" but qatala
(with a short "a") means "he killed".
Next:
How to learn Arabic
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