How different is Iraqi Arabic? Thread poster: RafaLee
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RafaLee
Australia
Local time: 09:38
Spanish to English
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Marhaba,
I am wondering how different is Iraqi Arabic to other Arabic dialects?
My Jordanian and Lebanese friends have told me that even though they are native speakers they still can't understand Iraqis.
Thank you,
Rafa
| | | | | Arabic is Arabic | Jul 16, 2004 |
RafaLee wrote:
Marhaba,
I am wondering how different is Iraqi Arabic to other Arabic dialects?
My Jordanian and Lebanese friends have told me that even though they are native speakers they still can't understand Iraqis.
Thank you,
Rafa
Maraaaheb,
Well, it is like the difference between US English & Australian English, or British English and Australian English, so when any one not used to any other accent than his, normally it will be difficult to catch up other Area even they speak English, I hope you got the picture
| | | | Nesrin 
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:38
English to Arabic
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| It can be quite different | Jul 16, 2004 |
RafaLee wrote:
Marhaba,
I am wondering how different is Iraqi Arabic to other Arabic dialects?
My Jordanian and Lebanese friends have told me that even though they are native speakers they still can't understand Iraqis.
Thank you,
Rafa
You have to be aware that Arabic is spoken from Morocco to Iraq, and the differences are not only in the pronunciation of words, but in syntax and semantics as well. Written Arabic is mostly the same, standard form of Arabic, but spoken Arabic is a different matter entirely. As an Egyptian, I find it sometimes quite difficult to understand the Arabic of the Gulf countries, and extremely difficult to understand Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians. It can't really be compared with the difference between American and British English.
Regards,
Nesrin
| | | | Randa Farhat
Lebanon
Local time: 02:38
English to Arabic
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| not only Iraqi | Jul 16, 2004 |
hi,
any Arabic dialect would sound like Irish English to a Texan.
however, in today's word most Arabic dialects are familiar to the ear -thanks to TV's & Airplanes (bringing people closer and open to the world). Normally, people tend to understand neighbour dialects but find more difficulty with others, such as Moroccan and Algerian dialects to Gulf & Mediterranean ears, and vice versa. Of course, Egyptian dialect is most understood by all Arabs, thanks to Movies!
regards!
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Stephen Franke
United States
Local time: 16:38
English to Arabic
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| Iraqi dialect(s) and distinctiveness fr other regional dialects | Jul 17, 2004 |
Greetings.
As the respondents have graciously mentioned, the Iraqi dialect of Arabic is very different from the dialects found in other Arabophone countries.
There are several descriptive books (most of them with accompanying audiocassettes or CDs) about the features of the main Iraqi dialects, which are roughly localized into three categories:
o Southern Iraqi (Mesopotamian, Basra area) / northernn Gulf
o Central Iraqi (esp. Baghdadi urban... See more Greetings.
As the respondents have graciously mentioned, the Iraqi dialect of Arabic is very different from the dialects found in other Arabophone countries.
There are several descriptive books (most of them with accompanying audiocassettes or CDs) about the features of the main Iraqi dialects, which are roughly localized into three categories:
o Southern Iraqi (Mesopotamian, Basra area) / northernn Gulf
o Central Iraqi (esp. Baghdadi urban, although some "linguistic fuzziness" is also evident due to the influx of Iraqis seeking work (heard and noted when I was there)
o Northern, which dialect shows influences of neighboring non-Arab languages, esp Kurdish, Farsi and Turkish.
c.f. representative research and publications in the English include those by Irwin, Johnstone, Ingham, Holes, Smart, Cordova, Alkalesi (his seems to be the most-recently-published textbook), plus a number of others around. Several works by Iraqi linguists and other Arabic researchers and published in the Arabic are aso available.
HTH. Khair, in sha' Allah.
Regards,
Stephen H. Franke
San Pedro, California ▲ Collapse
| | | | ashraf999
Local time: 02:38
English to Arabic
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| It IS very different | Jan 15, 2005 |
The Iraqi slang/dialect is alot different from standard Arabic. Similarly the Morrocan, Tunisian, Libyan can be alot different. As a Palestinian, I can hardly understand a Moroccan if they speak their dialect and not the standard one which is understood by all Arabs.
| | | | | Your friends are exaggerating | Feb 12, 2005 |
RafaLee wrote:
My Jordanian and Lebanese friends have told me that even though they are native speakers they still can't understand Iraqis.
Of course they understand Iraqis, albeit not as easily as they understand their Levantine compatriots. The Jordanian friend should have a much easier time than the Lebanese friend. It is a relative matter.
| | | | | Iraqi looks like Iraqis! | Sep 3, 2005 |
RafaLee wrote:
Marhaba,
I am wondering how different is Iraqi Arabic to other Arabic dialects?
My Jordanian and Lebanese friends have told me that even though they are native speakers they still can't understand Iraqis.
Thank you,
Rafa
Yes: Iraqi dialect is not easy to "capt" by other Arab people, a part of the Gulf inhabitants.
However, an attentive listening makes it easy to understand, as the syntax and most vocabulary come from Arabic. The real difficulty of our dialect resides in the semantic: this contains a significant rate of foreign origin words, especially from Turkish and Persian. And more recently from English, with regard to certain technical and mechanical terms: tyre, cluch, brake, puncture... are said "tyre", "cluch", "brake" and "puncture"...!
So, at least, in Iraq, you will be able to drive, with no risk! a brake is a brake.
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| It is different just like all other countries' dialects are different | Oct 9, 2008 |
RafaLee wrote:
Marhaba,
I am wondering how different is Iraqi Arabic to other Arabic dialects?
My Jordanian and Lebanese friends have told me that even though they are native speakers they still can't understand Iraqis.
Thank you,
Rafa
Each country has its own dialect. All Arab countries specially Egyptians and Bilad el Sham (Syrians, Lebanese, Jordanians and so on) think that their dialect is closer to standard Arabic, but that is not true. Their slang arabic is also different and you won't know it until you listen to it and learn it. Gulf dialect, as the other arabs think, its hard. It is not hard and Gulf speakers prounounce all the letters correctly. When Egyptians, Lebanese and so on speak, they misspronounce letters. I will give you examples, but before I do so, even when they speak formal/standard arabic (Arabi Fusha) they don't pronounce the letters correctly, and here are the examples:
Names for instance:
Kathim Al Sahir----- Kazim Al Sahir-----Letter th changed to Z
قمر----- امر
ذروة---- زروة
ضمير---- دمير
So don't tell me your dialect is closer to Arabic. I am sure if I go to Egypt or Lebanon or somewhere else, I would have a problem understanding alot of their slang!!
See it is different in different regions. I will give you the word how are you:
Egyptians: ezayak----ازيك which does not relate to formal Arabic.
Iraqis: Shlonak----شلونك Which literally means what is your color, but it means how you feel. In America we give colors to the way we feel. If I am blue, I am not good. And green is when you are sick and so on and so forth, but some arabs make fun and say my color is when you say shlonek.
Lebanese or Palestinian or some others say:
Keefac---- which comes from Kayfa Halak, that is a bit closer, but that does not mean they don't have other words that don't make sense.
When Gulf region people including Iraqis speak, they prounounce all the letters correctly especially in Standard/Formal Arabic.
If you listen to Egyptian, Lebanese, and Palestinian, they all have their own dialect that would sound strange to others, because all countries have their own dialects. But Gulf people have open hearts and mind and try to understand other dialects, and maybe even speak them, but other arabs are very close minded and they don't even try learning Gulf Dialect ( Khaligi ) because they will have a hard time pronoucing the letters . I think they just don't want to. And yeah, they reason some of those dialects are understood, not because they are closer to Standard Arabic but because of Media influence. Egyptians always produce more movies and songs than anybody else.
| | | | Nesrin
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:38
English to Arabic
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| Erm, not quite... | Oct 9, 2008 |
ljoel wrote:
All Arab countries specially Egyptians (...) think that their dialect is closer to standard Arabic
Umm, no we don't!! We just like our dialect, that's all.
Gulf dialect, as the other arabs think, its hard. It is not hard
Well, it is hard, for us. It's all a matter of perspective!
and Gulf speakers prounounce all the letters correctly.
Not really. Most Gulf Arabs, as far as I know, pronounce the q as g for example, unlike many Syrians and Jordanians who pronounce it q.
So don't tell me your dialect is closer to Arabic.
Nobody on this forum made this claim.
But Gulf people have open hearts and mind and try to understand other dialects, and maybe even speak them, but other arabs are very close minded
Oufff, no comment!
And yeah, they reason some of those dialects are understood, not because they are closer to Standard Arabic but because of Media influence. Egyptians always produce more movies and songs than anybody else.
We finally agree! And with the spread of satellite TV productions, more and more Egyptians and Syrians etc are watching Kuwaiti soaps and Gulf TV programmes, and so you will find that the Gulf dialect is being more and more widely understood. So it's not really a matter of open-mindedness or close-mindedness, I hope you will agree!!
[Edited at 2008-10-09 17:24]
| | | | | Iraqi arabic | Sep 27, 2011 |
Is it a good arabic dialect to learn ? As I understand I can survive with Iraqi dialect in Jordan,Lebanon,Saudi Arabia,Palestine ?
I am interested in learning Iraqi arabic. One thin is that I have a friend from Iraq and I always wanted to visit Iraq sometime but the problems there have stopped me from going there. Baylon...Baghdad and more make this country interesting.
| | | | | Chauvinism Vs. our main topic | Sep 29, 2011 |
ljoel wrote:
Gulf dialect, as the other arabs think, its hard. It is not hard and Gulf speakers prounounce all the letters correctly.
Hi ljoel, I believe that the subject here is not which dialect is close to standard Arabic so I have no idea why your post adopted such chauvinistic trend.
If Gulf speakers pronounce (all) the letters correctly (as you claimed), so who does pronounce (ض) as (ظ), for instance, (ولا الضالين)>> (ولا الظالين)?
Other examples:
ضمير >> ظمير
كلب >> تشلب
صدق >> صدج
سمك >> سمتش
Examples are endless.
My point is to show you that each dialect (including my Egyptian one) has its special divergences from standard Arabic.
I believe Nesrin commented excellently on the other points I wanted to address in your post.
I love my dialect and love most of Gulf dialects as well and I understand Gulf dialect to a great extent. However, this is something subjective and differs from one to another.
For me, Lebanese dialect is the sweetest to my ear although I am not a Lebanese.
Finally, we all belong to the same language.
Regards
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