I meant to post this last week, but the daily rain shower means that we’ve been having problems with both electricity and internet. Last Friday we lost power for about 24 hours because the transformer was shorted out. I’m not complaining too much though. While everywhere else in the Middle East is baking in the 40-50 degree heat, Sana’a is at a cool 24^oC (75^oF.)

Click on the image to see it in full size.

Sana'a After the Rain

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Recently I was asked the following questions from Louis on how-to-learn-a-language.com. Before I answer them, I would like to point out that while I speak Arabic at a near-native level, I do not have a degree in Arabic, nor have I studied linguistics. Any advice you read here is solely based on my personal experience and observing hundreds of Arabic students over the past four years.

‘ello there, I have read the entries on your website and your posts here with enthusiasm. I too am an Arabic learner and the information you contribute is invaluable to me. I do have a somewhat personal question or two, though. Hopefully you don’t mind!

a) How do I improve my Arabic reading speed? Although I am only two weeks into studying, I am in an Arabic class for 6 hours every day. I have built up a vocabulary of about 50 words and can obviously read and write the alphabet too. My problem is not recognizing words quick enough. Is it really as simple as “read more” or “expose yourself to more Arabic”? I’ve begun to label household items with Arabic notecards, much to my family’s dismay. “Get that chickenscratch off my drawer,” I can recall my mother saying. xD

Actually I did something similar, just not labeling household items. I bought a dry erase board, and wrote new words on it everyday and erased known ones. If I kept forgetting a word, I’d write it in really big red letters. Some students used easel pad paper and posted them all over the wall. Besides the standard advice of “read more”, I’d like to add three points:

1. As a beginner, you should concentrate more on listening than reading. It’s more important to be able to recognize a word hearing it than reading it.
2. Try to read each word as a picture, not letter by letter. When you read word “book” in English, you recognize it in one glance, you don’t actually read b—o—o—k. Same goes with Arabic, try to memorize words in their entirety and only read letter by letter when you run into new words.
3. If you have spare time left after your 6-hour class and homework, you may want to try Quran recitation (tajweed) which is quite helpful to improve your pronunciation and letter-recognition. You don’t need to understand the Quran to benefit from it. Open this site http://www.mosshaf.com/web/ and just follow along. The recitation is very slow and clear, and the text is highlighted in sync with the audio so you don’t lose your place.

b) How did you get to YEMEN, of all places? Well, not physically how – why did you choose to go to Yemen?

Most foreign students in Yemen came in order to study Arabic, they could’ve gone to Syria or Egypt and it wouldn’t have made any difference. For me it was the opposite. I liked Yemen so much that I ended up learning Arabic. I visited Yemen the first time as a tourist and fell in love with the old city of Sana’a. I came back a couple of years later for an extended stay, and realized pretty quickly that if I really wanted to understand the people and their culture, I had to speak Arabic.

I absolutely enjoyed my time here, but Yemen is not for everyone. Poor infrastructure, shaky security situation, an entire nation addicted to qat, hypocrisy, laziness, and incompetency are just a few things that can drive you nuts. It takes a lot of determination and patience to stay in Yemen. If your goal is to learn Arabic and you don’t have any special interest in Yemen, you are better off going somewhere else such as Syria or Egypt.

c) I apologize if this question is too personal, but you are Muslim? It seems like the vast majority of Arabic learners are Muslims who wish to read the Qu’raan or aspiring converts (whereas I am an atheist myself). Do you think I should keep my religious beliefs (or lack thereof) to myself and shut my big, American mouth? xD
!شكرا

I’m not religious, and I’m pretty open about it amongst my friends. Yes, they constantly remind me that I should pick a religion, i.e. Islam, before I die so I don’t go to hell, yes they tell me that life is meaningless without a religion, but it’s only because they care about me. You have probably been told that you should avoid topics on religion and politics, but the reality is that once your Yemeni friends get past your name, nationality, and marital status, they will for certain ask your views on Islam, polygamy, adultery, US foreign policy, Palestine, etc. You might as well prepare some articulate answers ahead of time. Be truthful and respectful and you’ll do just fine. If you feel someone is a fundamentalist, rare among Yemenis, common among converts, you may want to avoid the discussion all together. As long as you are observant, you will learn quickly when to speak up and when to shut up.

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