It's been "that time of year again" for a month or two for those living in the States, but for those of us across the Atlantic, school is just getting started. I am in my first week of Arabic classes, and start teaching next Wednesday. It will be so nice to have a schedule instead of endless hours of "so what should I do next?" I enjoy the freedom, but am really looking forward to getting into a routine and having regular things to do. I really haven't had that since mid July.
Since starting my Arabic classes, things have really changed though. I have met a lot of people, especially Spaniards, who also study at the school. I mostly speak Spanish here, not just with my classmates, but with shop keepers and cab drivers and waiters because in the North most people speak some Spanish. Sometimes people try to speak to me in French, and then I have to explain: espanol, English, Arabia shwiya (a little). It can be confusing. But I of course love it. My Arabic class is also a new experience for me. First of all, I have decided not to take any Standard Arabic classes, and so I am only studying the Moroccan dialect (derija) right now. The last time I learned a dialect (Jordanian), I was a complete beginner, learning the standard language at the same time. It feels totally different now. I have a base in the standard language, and I speak Spanish, a language which has influenced the dialect here, so learning Moroccan derija has been like connecting the dots between Standard and Spanish. The word for "snack time" is "merienda", Spanish. The possessive (genetive) structure is a combination of Standard Arabic iDafa and the French/Spanish "du/de". When I don't know how to say a word in derija, I go to Standard and then, if that fails, Spanish. It's fun. It's kind of like a linguistic remix.
Another thing that is new about the class is that I am all by myself. It is an intensive course, 2 hours a day, just me and the teacher. I like my teacher so far. He is a good combination of serious and funny, and he reminds me a lot of a certain Moroccan friend I had in Pittsburgh. I think it's his sly sense of humor, and the way he looks at me from over his glasses. I had orginally wanted to to have regular group classes, but there was no one else at the school with a background in Standard that wanted to learn derija. Most of the other students are there just to learn Standard, and the ones that are leanring derija don't have a background in Standard. So that leaves me to fend for myself in a land of sukuns. Yes, because of Amazigh (Berber) influence, Moroccan Arabic doesn't find any problem with long strings of consonants without a vowel in sight. Take for example the word for the phrase "nice to meet you": "mtshrfin". Count 'em...one vowel. Whopee! And there's lots more like that. "msmmi" and "kntklma" and "maknkhdmash" and the list goes on! Tongue twisted, I'm finding it hard to kick the vowel habit.
Since starting my Arabic classes, things have really changed though. I have met a lot of people, especially Spaniards, who also study at the school. I mostly speak Spanish here, not just with my classmates, but with shop keepers and cab drivers and waiters because in the North most people speak some Spanish. Sometimes people try to speak to me in French, and then I have to explain: espanol, English, Arabia shwiya (a little). It can be confusing. But I of course love it. My Arabic class is also a new experience for me. First of all, I have decided not to take any Standard Arabic classes, and so I am only studying the Moroccan dialect (derija) right now. The last time I learned a dialect (Jordanian), I was a complete beginner, learning the standard language at the same time. It feels totally different now. I have a base in the standard language, and I speak Spanish, a language which has influenced the dialect here, so learning Moroccan derija has been like connecting the dots between Standard and Spanish. The word for "snack time" is "merienda", Spanish. The possessive (genetive) structure is a combination of Standard Arabic iDafa and the French/Spanish "du/de". When I don't know how to say a word in derija, I go to Standard and then, if that fails, Spanish. It's fun. It's kind of like a linguistic remix.
Another thing that is new about the class is that I am all by myself. It is an intensive course, 2 hours a day, just me and the teacher. I like my teacher so far. He is a good combination of serious and funny, and he reminds me a lot of a certain Moroccan friend I had in Pittsburgh. I think it's his sly sense of humor, and the way he looks at me from over his glasses. I had orginally wanted to to have regular group classes, but there was no one else at the school with a background in Standard that wanted to learn derija. Most of the other students are there just to learn Standard, and the ones that are leanring derija don't have a background in Standard. So that leaves me to fend for myself in a land of sukuns. Yes, because of Amazigh (Berber) influence, Moroccan Arabic doesn't find any problem with long strings of consonants without a vowel in sight. Take for example the word for the phrase "nice to meet you": "mtshrfin". Count 'em...one vowel. Whopee! And there's lots more like that. "msmmi" and "kntklma" and "maknkhdmash" and the list goes on! Tongue twisted, I'm finding it hard to kick the vowel habit.
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