1) Writing in Arabic

In a first moment when you look a text in arabic and try humbly to read it maybe you start to sweat and give it up... "It is impossible to read or write in arabic!", maybe you would say in a second moment.

Take it easy and believe me, it is not that bad! Somehow the arabic language has the same structure as the western languages, a letter or a sign represents a sound. It is a phonetical system. The difference is that the arabs have their own alfabeth. Exactly like the greeks and russians and many other people.

This is a main difference to put arabic not closer in harshness as the chinese language. The chinese language and system of signs is completely different and a single sign or letter is a word for itself!!! This system was created (maybe) to help everyone there to understand a single system of writing that could be spoken by many tribes with many dialects, they can have a different "word" for this "sign/letter" but the MEANING of the sign is the same for them all!!!! So all of them, from north to south and from west to east China's could understand a writen text in chinese. At least the higher development of what we could understand as a chinese standart writing system -- I am not actualized about this matter so please do your own research about chinese language.

In arabic does not happens the same and not happens also with many europeans systems of writing language. Our system is phonetical and not pictorial. A sign or letter represents merely a sound and have (sometimes - abreviations not mentioned!!) no meaning alone without a context. And that's why the majority of arab dialects (or dialects from original tribes in Lands were arabs took control and influenced the culture) are not writen, only spoken and all children in schools must learn tradicional arabic to understand journals, books, internet, literature in general and, at last but not at least, the Sacred Quran!

The origins of the Arabic Language are mixed profoundly with the Sacred book of Islam. Some islamic scholars afirm that Quran should not be translated and it should be read in arabic. Therefore in their opinion if you want to understand the pure meanings of this book you should start learning arabic -- I myself can only say that I dislike very much to see movies not in their original language, ok, but it is even worse to see that the so called "subtitles" in other languages are often translated completely different from the original language... I perceive it often when seeing translations of brasilian movies into german or english, it is a tough job! I wonder how much we loose when an arabic movie is translated then into other languages.

But, of course, there are also differencials when we talk about "arabic alfabeth" because the arabic language can be, when not spoken, at least understood from Morocco till Indonesia! And in between all these nations did also contribute for the enrichment of the alfabeth. There are "sounds" that a persian can speak or maybe understand, like the letter "P", that an arab (maybe) cannot and translates as "B". And so on. Exists not only severals styles to write in arabic but also several "alfabeths" that enriched (I would say) the original arabic alfabeth: persian, afegan, turk, hindi, malayisian, etc. But I will only discuss and show examples based on the Neschi alfabeth!!!!

Bellow you will see the example to write the word "Hubb" that means Love. Take your time and a peace of paper and a pen and try it yourself!!!!



Observe please that the examples of the letter "Hha" and "Be" are from right to left and means:
- end, midle, begin, deteached ( I always will give the examples from right to left and in this order)
- some vowels are supposed to be represented sometimes by small signs bellow or above a letter. The vowel "damma" for "u" stays above the letter "Hha" to compose "Hu".
- some especial symbols like the "schadda" aren't to be spoken but understood as a doubler consonant like in "bb".

My keyboard :-)

Ahlan bekom!

(00:01:08 - 472 kB)

أهلا بكم

The other day, Hazem made a sound file in which he pronounces the various ways how to say "welcome" and "hello". (We remember, there are several forms for male and female in singular as well as for plural.) OK, let us listen here and read below the greetings line per line:

Welcome = مرحبا (Marhaban)

Welcome (sg. fem.) = مرحبا بكى (Marhaban beky)

Welcome (sg. masc.) = مرحبا بك (Marhaban beka)

Welcome (pl.) = مرحبا بكم (Marhaban bekom)

Hello = أهلا (Ahlan)
Hello (sg.fem.) = أهلا بكى (Ahlan beky)
Hello (sg. masc.) = أهلا بك (Ahlan beka)
Hello (pl.) = أهلا بكم (Ahlan bekom)

Another Way to great someone is :

"Peace be upon you" = All-Salaamu Alaykum .
Response "and on you be peace" =Wa Alaykum all-Salaam.

Goodbye "go in safety" = Maa as-Salaama.
How are you? =Kayf al-aal?
Fine, good, well =Bi-khayr
I'm fine=Anaa bi-khayr.
God be praised!=al-hamdu li-Llah! (said in response to question How are you?)
and you? =Wa anti/anta?

Marhaban! Hallo! Hello! Olá =)

Well, first of all, hello to all! By one of these marvelous coincidences that happens always in our lifes Maxie simply founded that I am also learning arabic =) I send her the list of Names bellow and we changed emails, voi lá, I am here now! I had no idea she was learning also and that's why in Brasil we say that "coincidences" are the language of the Angels (they send messages to us all in this way).

Anyway, I am since child fascinated with the arabic language. Greek alfabeth was also my favourite one and I "invented" an alfabeth looking like arabic to write secret messages to my sister and my friends in school. I still have this stuff with me. One day I will scan and show you. But with 10 or 12 I had no chance to learn it indeed and didn't had the idea to learn it really anyway, it was more like enchantment that happens in our teenages, etc.

Now when I already crossed the "Cabo da Boa Esperança" (aha, this one I wont translate!!! LOL) came this idea to indeed learn it. I have learned other languages along my life and thought: "arabic cannot be this hard". You know, I am an optimistic person...

Well, enough with presentations and talking-about-myself! Let's learn on more thing. By now I am focussed with the alfabeth and I am trying to learn it good because I want to read in arabic, this is my scope. Not only talk but read.

Bellow you see the Neshki alfabeth. This is the easiest one that we can learn. The only thing we must take in count are these:
- every "letter" have to be writen in many forms (begin, midle, end, detached)
- vowels aren't most of times writen in arabic, the writing language is based almost only on consonants!
- yes, we can learn how to read and write vowels and, thanks God, they exist =)
- in arabic, we write dow from right to left and also read in this way



These are my websites tips of today:
Kalligraphie
Fun With Arabic!
Arabismus

How to say "Hello" in Arabic

What I have learned today:

"Hello!" to a woman (singular): Marha'ban Beki!
"Hello! to a man (singular: Marha'ban Bek!
"Hello!" to people (plural): Marha'ban Bekum!

Besides, we were discussing a file Maxie received from a friend in Germany. This friend had tried to write names in Arabic. It looks wonderful! Have a look at the wonderful Arabic characters here:


Doesn't it look great?

However, it is not correct Arabic. I have learned in the talk with Hazem, that in Arabic text is written from the right to the left side. Confusing, isn't it? This is something one must get used to, of course.



Our podcast audio file (00:04:07 - 1.88 MB)