How does Arabic sound to foreigners?

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Author	Topic: How does Arabic sound to foreigners?
kimo_the_maniac Member Posts: 570 Registered: Jan 2003	posted 21 July 2004 12:27 PM I posted this ages ago on ES, but since there are new members here I will write it again: What does Arabic sound like to non-speakers. Because I speak Arabic natively it just sounds like talking to me. So how does Arabic sound? Musical, harsh, fast, slow, what? I asked some people before and they said it's very hard to describe it, but it sounds different. Anne Rice characterises Arabic as being softer yet harder than European languages at the same time. Also can you guys tell the different dialects apart? I met many French people who could tell immediately that Egyptian Arabic sounded very different from the Morrocan Arabic they are used to. But can you tell apart? Yalla salam ba2a. IP: Logged
Karah_Mia Member Posts: 166 Registered: Jun 2004	posted 21 July 2004 12:44 PM There are two aspects of how the Arabic language sounds to a foreigner (I am analyzing female case here): the speaking guy is (a) an eye candy, b) an eye poker. In the (a) case Arabic sounds just a bit hard (which can be called masculine ) but still melodic and stimulating to the ears (and gooey parts of female brain LOL) in the (b) case Arabic language attacks the eardrums and sounds like the ghostly sound effects used in the horror movies. IP: Logged
CaliGirl Member Posts: 38 Registered: May 2004	posted 21 July 2004 01:17 PM This is funny! When I listen to my husband and his friends speak most of the time I assume there is something wrong or they are disagreeing with something. But when I ask that was not even the case! I notice he naturally gets louder and more excited. The words to me seem harsh and very pronounced. with a lot of words with the pronounciation of the letter 'H'and 'W'. I cannot tell any of the Arabic languages apart (unless he points out the differences). But one thing he is able to do (due to this) is pronounce any Spanish word along with its accents better than a lot of English speaking people. ------------------ IP: Logged
Luxorlover Member Posts: 680 Registered: Jun 2004	posted 21 July 2004 01:40 PM I had my Arabic teacher almost in tears as I tied to reproduce the Arabic sounds. What I heard and what came out of my mouth were entirely different to his ears than they were to mine. Like Caligirl I often assumed that my partner was having a violent arguement with a visitor and when I asked what the 'moshkila' was, they laughed - because there was none. Native Arabic speakers talk very quickly and run the words together - just as English speakers do - and that makes it very hard for a none-native to follow a conversation. I think the lanaguage sounds soft/ish on a man but can sound very hard on a woman. Especially in the south were the accent is abrasive anyway. For some strange reason I am alway shocked when a pretty young girl opens her mouth and such harsh sounds come out. The accent in the south, is the same as the Geordie accent to English - but I cannot tell other accents from the Cairo one. PS Are you a fan of Ann Rice and if so which of her books is your favourite? [This message has been edited by Luxorlover (edited 21 July 2004).] IP: Logged
kimo_the_maniac Member Posts: 570 Registered: Jan 2003	posted 21 July 2004 04:38 PM quote: Originally posted by Luxorlover: PS Are you a fan of Ann Rice and if so which of her books is your favourite? [This message has been edited by Luxorlover (edited 21 July 2004).] I guess I am or at least I used to be... I guess the problem is that her books are all very similar, her style grabs and intrigues at first but then... I guess queen of the damned is one of the better books, but then again I don't know, some parts of it are icky and superficial. Servant of the bones is also okay. IP: Logged
arx Member Posts: 121 Registered: Jan 2003	posted 21 July 2004 05:01 PM it often sounds like someone who is getting ready to spit on you, or like someone has got a hair caught in their throat and they are trying to clear it out. IP: Logged
Karah_Mia Member Posts: 166 Registered: Jun 2004	posted 21 July 2004 09:45 PM Arx, r u charming or r u charming... [This message has been edited by Karah_Mia (edited 21 July 2004).] IP: Logged
Dalia Member Posts: 451 Registered: Aug 2002	posted 22 July 2004 03:11 AM I always liked the sound of Arabic, that's one of the reasons I decided to learn it. But I've often heard from people that they think it's harsh or "throaty" or sounds aggressive. That said, I don't really like the Egyptian dialect that much (sorry, Kimo). I was really disappointed when I started learning it and discovered that they skip or change some of my favourite letters. IP: Logged
kimo_the_maniac Member Posts: 570 Registered: Jan 2003	posted 22 July 2004 03:14 AM quote: Originally posted by Dalia: I always liked the sound of Arabic, that's one of the reasons I decided to learn it. But I've often heard from people that they think it's harsh or "throaty" or sounds aggressive. That said, I don't really like the Egyptian dialect that much (sorry, Kimo). I was really disappointed when I started learning it and discovered that they skip or change some of my favourite letters. What are your favourite letters Dalia? IP: Logged
Donya Member Posts: 203 Registered: Oct 2001	posted 22 July 2004 03:39 AM I love to listen to people speaking arabic, if I understand or not I think its a lovely language. I speak a little arabic and like you luxorlover what I thought I was saying and what was actually coming out my mouth were two different things entirely.lol...but on visits to Egypt people were only to happy to correct me adn that was fun. Its a very throaty language and yes sometimes when with friends Ive often thought what are they arguing about when infact its just been a normal discussion.... non the less.......I love it IP: Logged
Dalia Member Posts: 451 Registered: Aug 2002	posted 22 July 2004 03:58 AM quote: Originally posted by kimo_the_maniac: What are your favourite letters Dalia? Djim, Qaf and Cha (not sure if this is the right transcription ... they are different in each language and I've been working with German, English and French books) [This message has been edited by Dalia (edited 22 July 2004).] IP: Logged
annie_81 Member Posts: 58 Registered: Apr 2004	posted 22 July 2004 10:05 AM Hi, Im French. No offense but to me spoken Arabic sounds harsh and fast. it sounds like RRRHHH or HARRRH all the time... Learning the alphabet helped me a lot to differientiate the sounds but it still sounds like rolling air in your throath. Forgive me again but me and my friends alsways had a good laugh trying to imagine an arabic person stuttering: RH-RH-RH or RHA-HH-RH ... as opposed to in english: I-I-I Li-Li-Ke this FO-Fo-Fo-RUM. where the sounds are much more distinct ( to my ears anyway). IP: Logged
Lori Member Posts: 215 Registered: Jun 2003	posted 22 July 2004 11:18 AM quote: Originally posted by kimo_the_maniac: I posted this ages ago on ES, but since there are new members here I will write it again: What does Arabic sound like to non-speakers. Because I speak Arabic natively it just sounds like talking to me. So how does Arabic sound? Musical, harsh, fast, slow, what? I asked some people before and they said it's very hard to describe it, but it sounds different. Anne Rice characterises Arabic as being softer yet harder than European languages at the same time. Also can you guys tell the different dialects apart? I met many French people who could tell immediately that Egyptian Arabic sounded very different from the Morrocan Arabic they are used to. But can you tell apart? Yalla salam ba2a. Egyptian Arabic sounds beautiful, like music. Arabic spoken in Syria and Lebanon is nice, kind of soft, but not as nice as Egyptian. Arabic spoken in Iraq is a bit harder, but I've been told it's "classical Arabic". Moroccan and especially Tunisian Arabic is full of French words - Tunisian has even some Italian words in it. It sounds funny, and colorful. Algerian Arabic is the one I can't stand, the ch's are so harsh and the tone so aggressive, it's like you are being slapped in the face. I have no knowledge of Arabic spoken in Iran, Jordan, Afghanistan and the Emirates. IP: Logged
Samia Member Posts: 54 Registered: Jul 2004	posted 22 July 2004 11:24 AM egyptian arabic, to me, sounds like they use a few phrases to cover a multitude of meanings!! I mean, you hear the same stuff over and over!!! I agree that they always sound like they are arguing, particularly the men!!! IP: Logged
Lukoshko Member Posts: 256 Registered: Feb 2004	posted 22 July 2004 12:20 PM quote: Originally posted by kimo_the_maniac: So how does Arabic sound Depends on who is speaking and the manner of speaking...sexual and emotional...I enjoy listening egyption guys talking... IP: Logged
kimo_the_maniac Member Posts: 570 Registered: Jan 2003	posted 22 July 2004 02:47 PM quote: Originally posted by arx: it often sounds like someone who is getting ready to spit on you, or like someone has got a hair caught in their throat and they are trying to clear it out. Did you ever consider being a diplomat or something, you just sound hysterically American Don't get me wrong but I heard the same description from several people in several places and they are ALL Americans. Is this a cultural thing, or did you all hear this in a film or something? IP: Logged
kimo_the_maniac Member Posts: 570 Registered: Jan 2003	posted 22 July 2004 02:50 PM quote: Originally posted by Dalia: [QUOTE]Originally posted by kimo_the_maniac: [b] What are your favourite letters Dalia? Djim, Qaf and Cha (not sure if this is the right transcription ... they are different in each language and I've been working with German, English and French books) [This message has been edited by Dalia (edited 22 July 2004).][/B][/QUOTE] Well we DO keep cha', but I guess you listed all your faves not just the ones lost in Egyptian. I can see what you mean about jim becoming gim, jim does sound more beautifull. You know what's weird, if someone uses the jim in Egypt people don't think it's beautifull, they think: -He is a zealot with idealistic ideas about classical Arabic. -He comes from the sticks, because most rural dialects use the jim. So it's not considered chic. IP: Logged
kimo_the_maniac Member Posts: 570 Registered: Jan 2003	posted 22 July 2004 02:53 PM quote: Originally posted by Lori: Egyptian Arabic sounds beautiful, like music. Arabic spoken in Syria and Lebanon is nice, kind of soft, but not as nice as Egyptian. Arabic spoken in Iraq is a bit harder, but I've been told it's "classical Arabic". Moroccan and especially Tunisian Arabic is full of French words - Tunisian has even some Italian words in it. It sounds funny, and colorful. Algerian Arabic is the one I can't stand, the ch's are so harsh and the tone so aggressive, it's like you are being slapped in the face. I have no knowledge of Arabic spoken in Iran, Jordan, Afghanistan and the Emirates. Lori, Iraqi Arabic is very harsh sounding, it's not really much closer to classical than other dialects now that I think of it. So you noticed that thing about Algerian too. I used to think all western dialects were fast and harsh, but I watch Moroccan TV sometimes and it sounds nice. Actually when I watch Moroccan TV I don't understand ANYTHING, it's like a foreign language, so I can "get" what it sounds like. IP: Logged
Dalia Member Posts: 451 Registered: Aug 2002	posted 23 July 2004 03:58 AM quote: Originally posted by kimo_the_maniac: Well we DO keep cha', but I guess you listed all your faves not just the ones lost in Egyptian. That's right. Btw, I always have a problem when giving people my address because the name in there contains the letter "tha" (the same one as in "talata"), but no matter how I (or anyone else who's Egyptian) pronounce it, people don't get it. Still don't understand why ... IP: Logged
Natashiah Member Posts: 146 Registered: Jun 2004	posted 23 July 2004 09:06 AM If you guys think Arabic is aggressive...try speaking Afrikaans...it sounds constantly as if you are cleaning your throat and about to spit......the "g" is is very hard...normal conversations sounds as if your arguing...you can only imagine what a real argument sounds like One of my native languages is Afrikaans and I think its agressive..so you can imagine what the foreigners think Also there are a few sounds that are very similar to Arabic. IP: Logged
Natashiah Member Posts: 146 Registered: Jun 2004	posted 23 July 2004 09:10 AM ...personally I think Arabic is a very beautiful language...especially if youre a woman and you want something from your husband. ...Oh what poetry can flow from our mouths....I guess its the way you say it and not what you say IP: Logged
kimo_the_maniac Member Posts: 570 Registered: Jan 2003	posted 23 July 2004 10:20 AM quote: Originally posted by Natashiah: If you guys think Arabic is aggressive...try speaking Afrikaans...it sounds constantly as if you are cleaning your throat and about to spit......the "g" is is very hard...normal conversations sounds as if your arguing...you can only imagine what a real argument sounds like One of my native languages is Afrikaans and I think its agressive..so you can imagine what the foreigners think Also there are a few sounds that are very similar to Arabic. Afrikaans is very similar to Dutch isn't it? Because yes Dutch sounds amazing, the g sound is a very very heavy khah. So guys do you think the fact that people sound like they are arguing has to do with the language itself or with the way people speak it? i.e. I think Italian sounds great but whenever I heard two Italians talk I always tried to "reconcile" them before they got physical, even if they were talking about the weather. Another stupid question, what language sounds most like Arabic? Are there any? I know Arabic is related only to a few living languages (Hebrew, Amharic, neo-Assyrian, ..) but is there any European language that sounds close? IP: Logged
BahYBasha Member Posts: 128 Registered: Jun 2004	posted 23 July 2004 10:23 AM quote: Originally posted by Natashiah: ...personally I think Arabic is a very beautiful language...especially if youre a woman and you want something from your husband. ...Oh what poetry can flow from our mouths....I guess its the way you say it and not what you say IP: Logged
MisplacedinAlex Junior Member Posts: 9 Registered: Jul 2004	posted 23 July 2004 02:20 PM I don't get it, it is very difficult to learn and as said allot of times it sounds argumentive. I do like when my husband talks all the sweet stuff. American Woman feel for that s.s. IP: Logged

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