A Valued Skill

Hello everyone from sunny California. I am doing some pre-deployment training here at Ft Hunter-Ligget. I thought these signs were interesting, and I wanted to share them. They have them everywhere down here, I guess to encorage soldiers to try and learn Arabic. Obviously it is a valued skill these days.

The Second Edition

Hi all! Just wanted to throw in my two-cents on our new textbook for the semester. I’m already enjoying the layout and lessons much more than the first book, mostly because we’re getting vocabulary in the context of a full sentence. I have only worked part of the way through Unit 1, but the exercises in writing and phrase-construction are helping me reatin words better than I had in the first book. Also, the “story” sections in these chapters are much easier to follow than the “dialogues” of the first book: Maha, for example, speaks much more slowly, which really helps me pick out the words and sounds. Probably because I’m an English nerd, I’m really looking forward to getting into grammar!

Did ya know? In the first book, you can find a transcript of the dialogues printed in the back. I had no idea they were there, and I wish I would have known last semester! Would have made studying much easier.

A matter of national security

As some of my classmates might guess, I take a great interest in matters of national security and defense. Over the last couple of days I have read a couple of news articles that really bothered me. I have included a couple of quotes below. The first one is from an article on MSNBC concerning the report from the Iraq Study Group.

  “The report is replete with damning details about the administration’s inept handling of
Iraq. It notes, for instance, that only six people in the 1,000-person embassy in
Baghdad can speak Arabic fluently.”

Wow. The second was from an article, also on MSNBC about the troubles an Arab-American FBI agent is having with his organization.

“Five years after 9/11, critics say the FBI has been slow to hire agents with Arabic skills or knowledge. In fact, only 33 of the FBI’s 12,000 agents have even a limited proficiency in Arabic, the agency says.”

As we become more involved with middle eastern affairs, how are we going to make decisions if we can’t even understand the people we are becoming involved with? I feel that our country often makes mistakes regarding defense, security, politics, and other areas concerning the arab world. Could we do a better job if we could simply communicate?

I am enjoying learning Arabic. I have always wanted to learn a new language. I am starting to think that it may be something of much greater importance than I first thought. I hope maybe I can continue to advance in my learning. Like I said before, in my upcoming deployment clear communication might be a matter of life and death. Maybe it is also a matter of national security.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16045171/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16042604/

 

 

 

Coffee Comparison

Hi, Audrey again… When we were learning about the coffee houses a few weeks ago I had noticed that Turkish coffee and Arabic coffee came up quite often as different varieties.  So, I decided I would try to see what the difference is. Turkish and Arabic coffee are prepared with the same tools and methods.  From what I was given to understand, the Turkish coffee is a particular variety of Arabic coffee. Turkish coffee has several other names including, Serbian coffee, Armenian coffee, Greek coffee, or Byzantine coffee.  It is popular in the Middle East (of course), North Africa, and the Balkans.  It is consumed slowly and served with cool water so as to keep and clean palate and enjoy the flavor.  The grounds will be at the bottom of the cup.  In some cultures the cup is turned upside down on the saucer to dump out the grounds which are then read for fortunetelling. Arabic coffee comes in two varieties, Turkish, and Bedouin.  In Saudia Arabia its amber in color, but in Jordan its darker.  It is often spiced with cardamon and is served in small portions.

writing in arabic

The writing of arabic is a lot different than english; it seems more fluid than even curseive. I find it effects my writing in english. my favorite letter to write is called shiiin. It looks kind of like a fence with a tale.

Thoughts about class and Arabic

I have taken a few language classes before and this has definitely proved to be the most challenging. The hardest part for me (aside from a completely different alphabet ) is the different sounds used in Arabic that aren’t used in English. Also, I feel like I have an ok grasp of how the letters connect, but I have a hard time associating the written Arabic words with a meaning unless I write the pronunciation out in English first.

The book and DVD has been very helpful; being able to look at the letters and words and then here someone speak them on the DVD lets me know if I’m pronouncing them right. At the end of the semester I would like to feel comfortable with the alphabet and the pronunciation of the letters.

Studying Arabic

I find the most successful way to study Arabic is to write the vocabulary over and over. I must review the words frequently or I forget them. I have purchased some Arabic flash cards at Barnes and Nobles that I use to review Arabic.