...
Post A Reply
my profile
|
directory
login
|
register
|
search
|
faq
|
forum home
»
EgyptSearch Forums
»
Living in Egypt
»
our beautiful arabic language
» Post A Reply
Post A Reply
Login Name:
Password:
Message Icon:
Message:
HTML is not enabled.
UBB Code™ is enabled.
UBB Code™ Images not permitted.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dalia: [QB] [QUOTE]Originally posted by newcomer: [b] I think part of the problem of many foreigners in Egypt not learning Arabic well, either to speak it or to read and write is partly due to the fact that so many Egyptians do speak English and so the necessity to learn is diminished. After all, the purpose of language is to communicate and if most of the people you come into contact with speak English to some degree or other, what is the incentive in daily life to learn Egyptian, apart from for shopping or taxis where you aren’t always likely to meet people who can understand English?[/b] [/QUOTE] Many foreigners say they don't feel the need to learn Arabic since they can get by so well with English but I'm always surprised at that; even everyday life - from taking taxis to going to the hairdresser, the tailor etc. - requires quite a bit of Arabic in my opinion. Also, I personally hate being in a country and not being able to understand what people around me are saying, be it on the street or in a group of friends. When I first came here I could read and write Arabic and knew the basics of classical Arabic but of course it was of no use. I hated the feeling of not being able to communicate, it made me feel insecure and isolated. At the moment I can handle everyday situations fine and I can usually halfway follow a conversation but I still feel very insufficient; I definitely want to be able to communicate fluently one day. [QUOTE] [b]But the way classical Arabic is usually taught, the focus is too much on the grammar and dissecting the language, rather than on how to put it together in a comprehensible form and comprehending it.[/b][/QUOTE] This reminds me of the time when I had to learn Latin at school, I absolutely hated it. I like learning languages and I usually pick up the structure and pronunciation of a language easily, but I had a very hard time with Latin. The reason was that it was not taught like a language that's being spoken, the focus was purely on grammar and analyzing, pretty much as classical Arabic is taught in most cases. There are schools and teachers in Cairo, though, that teach classical Arabic while focusing on conversation, have you tried any of them? [This message has been edited by Dalia (edited 20 August 2005).] [/QB][/QUOTE]
Instant Graemlins
Instant UBB Code™
What is UBB Code™?
Options
Disable Graemlins in this post.
*** Click here to review this topic. ***
Contact Us
|
EgyptSearch!
(c) 2015 EgyptSearch.com
Powered by UBB.classic™ 6.7.3