Formal Versus Dialect:
When you commit to learning Arabic, you are essentially signing up to learn at least two languages. Most Western students are taught Modern Standard Arabic, or لغة الفصحى. This is the formal Arabic spoken by government officials, news anchors, and the like in formal settings. However, this is not what you will find people speaking on the street in everyday conversations. The people of each region speak their own dialect, or العامية. In order to communicate more conveniently, it's a good idea to learn at least one regional dialect in addition to the formal Arabic.
Jordanian Colloquialisms:
Since I am most familiar with the Jordanian dialect, I will list a few of the slang terms here. I'll start with the infamous Jordanian greeting "shoufi mafi?" or شو في مافي؟, which translates best to the English slang, "what's up?" The response to this greeting can vary as in English, but sometimes people will respond with "ma fi shee" or "safi wafi."
Some colloquialisms are fairly consistent between dialects. For example, the formal inquiry "kayf al-Haluka?" is shortened in slang to "kefak?" Many words in formal Arabic are simply modified in colloquial, while others are replaced altogether. For example, "katheer" is modified to "kter" and so on. However, the formal word for "good," which is "jayid" is not used at all, but instead replaced with the slang term "mneeh."
The list of similarities and differences between formal Arabic and the Jordanian dialect is considerable, and I will continue to post about helpful colloquial phrases as I learn them.
When you commit to learning Arabic, you are essentially signing up to learn at least two languages. Most Western students are taught Modern Standard Arabic, or لغة الفصحى. This is the formal Arabic spoken by government officials, news anchors, and the like in formal settings. However, this is not what you will find people speaking on the street in everyday conversations. The people of each region speak their own dialect, or العامية. In order to communicate more conveniently, it's a good idea to learn at least one regional dialect in addition to the formal Arabic.
Jordanian Colloquialisms:
Since I am most familiar with the Jordanian dialect, I will list a few of the slang terms here. I'll start with the infamous Jordanian greeting "shoufi mafi?" or شو في مافي؟, which translates best to the English slang, "what's up?" The response to this greeting can vary as in English, but sometimes people will respond with "ma fi shee" or "safi wafi."
Some colloquialisms are fairly consistent between dialects. For example, the formal inquiry "kayf al-Haluka?" is shortened in slang to "kefak?" Many words in formal Arabic are simply modified in colloquial, while others are replaced altogether. For example, "katheer" is modified to "kter" and so on. However, the formal word for "good," which is "jayid" is not used at all, but instead replaced with the slang term "mneeh."
The list of similarities and differences between formal Arabic and the Jordanian dialect is considerable, and I will continue to post about helpful colloquial phrases as I learn them.
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