What’s the best way to pick up Syrian Arabic?

Lisa Schor is deeply passionate about helping people learn Arabic and changing how Arabic is taught. She is currently pursuing her doctorate at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and has written a book for beginners about Syrian Arabic. Encountering challenges while learning Arabic, she recognized the need for a better way to teach Arabic dialects, inspiring her to focus on the practical side of everyday language in her book.

Through her book Akīd!: Kommunikatives Lehrwerk der syrischen Umgangssprache (Textbook of the Syrian colloquial language), Lisa wants to help a diverse group of people, including social workers, volunteers, tourists, and language enthusiasts, have natural conversations and understand the Syrian Arabic dialect spoken in Damascus. Her approach focuses on speaking skills, basic vocabulary, and cultural understanding, making it suitable for beginners to reach the A1 level.

ABOUT Lisa Schor

Lisa studied Arabic at the universities of Bamberg and Vienna, as well as at the German-Jordanian University in Amman.

Currently, she is pursuing her Ph.D. in didactics of German as a second language at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.

Her research focuses include teaching German as a second language and the use of digital tools in education.

In this interview, Lisa tells us more about the needs and problems of Arabic beginners and the approach her new book takes. Notice: The book is unfortunately only available in German so far.

How did you come up with the idea of writing a book for beginners of Arabic?

The diglossia situation was one of the problems I struggled with most during my Arabic studies. Although I was able to communicate quite well in MSA after a while, I found it difficult to converse with native speakers. This is often a source of frustration for Arabic learners. It wasn’t until I learned an Arabic dialect that I found it much easier to have natural conversations.

So, I started looking for a textbook to further develop my dialect skills but found that there are not many Arabic textbooks on the German market that teach Arabic dialects. The few that were available seemed a bit outdated and didn’t reflect modern approaches to language instruction. Hence, I had the idea of filling this gap in the market and creating a textbook myself.

Who is this book for?

The target audience is people who have contact with Arabic-speaking people, such as social workers, volunteers, tourists, friends or family, or those who are simply curious about the colloquial language. The course is designed for teachers and language schools who wish to offer courses in colloquial Arabic alongside or instead of formal Arabic. Therefore, it is not suitable for self-study.

We focus on developing speaking skills, building basic vocabulary, and presenting the basic grammar in an understandable way. However, the book does not focus on developing reading and writing skills in the Arabic alphabet. Those who wish to delve deeper into the Arabic language and want to be able to read and write Arabic script should therefore opt for an additional textbook.

Incidentally, one special feature of our course is that we have also created a teacher’s guide that provides teachers with instructions for using the course material in the classroom. It aims to maximize the effectiveness of the exercises and to give teachers ideas for interactive activities, facilitating discussions and promoting student engagement during class. Interested teachers are welcome to contact me.

About the book

Akīd!: Kommunikatives Lehrwerk der syrischen Umgangssprache (Textbook of the Syrian colloquial language)

What you will learn: This textbook teaches the Syrian dialect of the capital Damascus, which is similar to the dialects spoken in Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon.

What you will achieve: Hold simple conversations in colloquial Arabic; level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

How you will learn: Twelve lessons with pictures, drawings and audio files (MP3) focusing on typical everyday situations. In addition to basic vocabulary and grammar, each lesson includes information about the country or language history to provide cultural background.

• Publisher: Buske, H; 1st edition with voice recordings as MP3 files for download
• Language: German, Arabic
• Paperback: 120 pages
• Price: 30.00 Euro
• ISBN-10: 3967693120
• ISBN-13: 978-3967693126

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Which Arabic dialect did you base your book on?

The majority of the Arabic-speaking population in Germany speak a Syrian dialect. The book therefore teaches the Syrian dialect of the capital Damascus.

This dialect is very closely related to the Lebanese, Palestinian and Jordanian dialects, so much so that in the Levant these dialects are often combined into a single dialect, Levantine. As the dialect of the Syrian capital, and due to its use in the Syrian broadcast media, Damascus Arabic is prestigious and widely recognized by Arabic speakers in the Levant.

What is the level you acquire after working through the book and what situations can you master?

After working through the book, you can achieve an A1 level (according to CEFR standard). We aim to enable people to have simple conversations in Arabic and to better understand and appreciate the language and the culture.

The textbook consists of 12 chapters with many pictures, drawings and audio files, focusing on typical everyday situations, such as ordering in a restaurant. Each chapter also includes information about the country or the history of the language to provide additional cultural background.

From what mistakes did you learn from other books?

We’ve learned valuable lessons from observing the shortcomings of other language books. Many of these resources still rely on outdated grammar-translation methods or place a heavy emphasis on linguistic analysis. The book I worked with in the past, for instance, focused extensively on political texts and neglected the practical aspects of everyday language.

In contrast, we recognize that effective language learning today is centered around communication. The emphasis is on being able to engage in real conversations and navigate daily life situations. This recognition led us to develop a textbook that aligns with modern language learning approaches. Our goal was to create a resource that enables learners to quickly engage in conversations and equip them with the language skills necessary to connect with native speakers.

For example, while some existing materials might delve into intricate grammatical details, we emphasize commonly used sentence structures and expressions that are immediately applicable in day-to-day conversations.

The drawings in the book were created by Raghad Ahmad (رغد أَحمد), who fled from Syria to Germany. She seeks to incorporate Arabic script into her work.

Do you use Arabic script or transliteration?

We use transliteration in the book for several reasons. One of the main considerations was to provide learners with an easier entry into the language, removing the initial hurdle of learning a new script. This approach allows learners to make quick progress and experience a sense of accomplishment, which in turn motivates them to continue learning.

Numerous Arabic instructors have shared with me the prevalent dropout rates in their courses, a pattern I also encountered during my own language learning journey. Enrolled participants are eager to immerse themselves in conversations promptly, yet this aspiration is frequently impeded in MSA courses due to the necessity of undergoing an extensive and laborious process of script acquisition.

Moreover, transliteration not only simplifies the process but also accounts for the fact that the vowel inventory of the Syrian dialect is more extensive than that of MSA. This is particularly significant in facilitating accurate pronunciation, as transliteration enables the representation of short and auxiliary vowels. Even with diacritics, the Arabic script struggles to accurately depict the nuances of the dialect.

Additionally, since the dialect is primarily a spoken language and is often written with transliteration in social media, using transliteration aligns with real-world usage. The book also includes a brief introduction to Arabizi, a form of writing Arabic using Latin characters, to further familiarize learners with informal written communication.

Why do so many people who start learning Arabic give up relatively quickly?

In my view as a German native speaker, there is minimal linguistic transfer or familiarity between Arabic and the languages I had learned before, as they belong to totally different language families.

The complex grammar, substantially distinct from one’s native language, includes entirely new grammatical concepts like the dual form, which necessitates acquisition and is non-intuitive for us (German and English speakers).

Primarily, the challenge of learning a new script poses a substantial obstacle and leads to significant frustration (after all, script acquisition typically only happens in the first grade). Additionally, the lack of short vowels in written Arabic makes spontaneous reading considerably more challenging. Even after surmounting these challenges, when one eventually visits an Arabic-speaking country, they will realize that people engage in a “different language” in their day-to-day interactions – the dialect, which significantly varies in numerous aspects from the language painstakingly acquired.

However, I’m only speaking from my own experiences. For me, learning Arabic was a full-time commitment. I learned MSA in a very traditional manner; it sometimes felt like I was learning Latin. I often wonder how my Arabic would have turned out if I had learned the language more ‘naturally,’ starting with the dialect and focusing more on day-to-day conversations instead of translating news articles and literature. This is also what inspired me to write Akid.

What motivated you in the first place to go through the pain of learning Arabic?

This is usually one of the first questions I have to answer after people see my resume in job interviews.

After graduating, I found myself rather uncertain about my path and lacking a clear direction for my studies. With a strong affinity for languages and consistently high grades in English, French, and Spanish during my school years, I was drawn to linguistic pursuits. Seeking guidance, I turned to the student counselor. Her suggestion was to delve into an “exotic” language, one not widely known, to potentially unlock unique opportunities. This advice was offered before the substantial influx of refugees in 2015.

I followed her advice and initially opted to minor in Arabic. However, the complexities and beauty of the language resonated deeply with me, captivating my interest. Consequently, after the first semester, I made the decision to transition from a minor to a major in Arabic studies.

Are there exercises in the book?

Absolutely, our book includes various exercises designed to enhance language acquisition and practical usage. We have made sure to include varied forms of exercises in each lesson that train different core skills. Each chapter offers exercises that reinforce the content covered, encouraging learners to apply what they’ve learned in realistic scenarios, always focussing on practicing conversational skills.

Our exercises range from role-playing dialogues and interactive speaking tasks to comprehension activities. For instance, learners might engage in role-playing conversations where they practice using the newly introduced vocabulary and expressions. They could also encounter fill-in-the-blank exercises that help reinforce grammar and vocabulary usage in context.

Furthermore, we integrate listening exercises featuring authentic audio materials, allowing learners to develop their listening and speaking skills simultaneously. These exercises provide exposure to native speakers’ pronunciation and natural speech patterns, contributing to a more comprehensive language learning experience. For the recordings, we involved locally living refugees who supported our project.

Will there be an English translation as well?

So far, there are no plans for an English translation of the course materials. The current focus is on providing a comprehensive resource for learning the Syrian dialect of Arabic for German speakers. However, feedback and demand from learners may influence future considerations for translations or adaptations of the materials.

Lisa Schor, thank you for your time.

Where to buy the book

If you have an amazon.de account, you can buy the book here:

Alternatively, you can purchase the book directly from the publisher’s website (Buske Verlag):

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