I’m sure many Arabic learners have had this same dilemma—Is it better to learn Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) or a regional dialect?
Based on the Arabic resources available online and advice from friends, it seems most people choose MSA. Here is why I ignored them…

As a heritage Cantonese speaker, I was aware of the concept of diglossia long before learning the term. Diglossia is a situation in which two different languages or varieties of the same language are used by the same community in different settings. For instance, I understand when my parents speak to me in Cantonese but am completely clueless when watching the news or listening to old Cantonese music. This is because colloquial everyday speech is so different from the standardized language used in formal settings.

When I decided to learn Arabic, I realized that a similar diglossia exists across the Arab world. Every country has its own distinct dialect, but they are all unified by Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) or fusha (فصحى), which is considered the official language used in the government, in academic work, in the news, etc. Given the status and scope of Standard Arabic and Standard Cantonese in their respective milieus, I made my decision to study the dialect instead.

What is your goal of learning Arabic?

For me, the goal of learning a language is always to connect with people, to better understand them and their culture. Since native Arabic speakers use their respective regional dialects to communicate with each other, it only makes sense for me to learn a dialect over MSA. I think about how odd it would be to order food or talk to my family in Standard Cantonese, and I imagine this would be similar to speaking MSA.

If your reason for learning Arabic is to speak to people, travel, watch movies, or listen to music, I recommend learning the people’s language: the dialect. In addition to bringing you closer to native speakers and their culture, dialects have fewer grammatical rules and are more lenient in their usage. It just seems like a more natural progression to learn simple, everyday phrases like “hello” and “how are you” before learning how to understand a news report. Of course, these simple phrases also exist in MSA, but native speakers are highly unlikely to greet each other in this manner.

If, however, your goal is indeed to understand the news, read classical or religious texts, or use Arabic in a business setting, MSA would be your best bet. In the end, it comes down to your goal of learning Arabic.

Which dialect should you study?

So you’ve decided to go for a dialect. Now you’ll have to choose which one you want to study. In my case, settling on the Palestinian dialect (specifically from the Galilee region) was a no-brainer given I have a friend from Haifa. Your choice will depend on the people you know, the music you listen to, the culture you’re interested in, and so on.

If you’re not sure which dialect to choose, here are some options:

Levantine

The Levantine dialect is roughly split up into North Levantine spoken in Syria and Lebanon, and South Levantine spoken in Palestine and Jordan. It is said to be the closest dialect to MSA and is, in my slightly biased opinion, the most pleasant sounding. Levantine is a popular choice among learners given the region’s large diaspora, as well as its rich history which has weaved its way into the vocabulary. For instance, the British and French mandates left behind loanwords such as أصنصير / اسانسير (asenser) for elevator (from French ascenseur) and فرمشيَّا (farmashiyya) for pharmacy (from French pharmacie). The MSA equivalents for these terms are مصعد (mus3ad) and صيدليّة (saydaliyye), respectively. Long-lasting Ottoman rule also brought about Turkish loanwords like the verb كزدر, meaning to stroll (from Ottoman Turkish gezdirmek).

The dialect’s wide reach can also be attributed to the region’s iconic musicians like the one and only Fairuz. Other artists I’ve discovered include jazz pianist Faraj Suleiman, rappers Shabjdeed and Bu Kulthoum, rock band Mashrou’ Leila and singer Mike Massy.

Egyptian

The Egyptian dialect is another widely understood dialect due to the popularity of Egyptian cinema and music. In fact, Umm Kulthum, known as the “Voice of Egypt”, was one of the most popular Arab singers of the 20th century. Nowadays, you may be familiar with pop singers Amr Diab and Sherine, or rappers Marwan Moussa and Wegz.

The most defining feature of the Egyptian dialect is the pronunciation of the letter “jeem” (ج), which is pronounced like the “g” in “grape” rather than the “g” in “gym” or “genre” like in other dialects. So, the word “hijab” would be pronounced “higab”.

Gulf

The Gulf or Khaleeji dialect is spoken in the Persian Gulf including in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, eastern Saudi Arabia, southern Iraq and northern Oman. While I’m not too familiar with the gulf dialect, I often hear it being described as heavier sounding than Levantine. It is gaining more popularity thanks to the rise of affluent, international cities like Dubai and Doha.

Maghrebi

The dialects spoken in the North of Africa (Maghreb) have diverged the most from Modern Standard Arabic. They include Moroccan Darija (arguably the hardest to understand), Algerian, Tunisian and Libyan. Due to geographic proximity and colonization, these dialects have been influenced by French, Spanish and Italian. Moroccan Darija is also heavily influenced by Amazigh spoken by the Berbers.

Here are some examples of loanwords in Darija:

توموبيل (tomobil or tonobil) from French “automobile“, meaning car
رويضة (rwida) from Spanish “rueda“, meaning wheel
خيزّو (khizzu) from Amazigh “xizzu“, meaning carrot

Pros and cons of learning a dialect

1. ✅ You will be able to have natural conversations with locals.
2. ❌ You will have to learn a new dialect every time you visit a new country.
3. ✅ You can enjoy music, movies and other art in the dialect.
4. ❌ You won’t be able to understand classical literature or formal writings.
5. ✅ Dialects usually have easier grammar and pronunciation.
6. ❌ There are fewer resources for learning the dialect compared to MSA.
   • While this is still true, there are more and more resources for learning dialects appearing online, especially on social media. Here are some resources I have found for Levantine Arabic.

Pros and cons of learning MSA

1. ✅ You will have a lingua franca to communicate with Arabic speakers from around the world.
2. ❌ You won’t fit in with the locals.
3. ❌ You won’t be able to understand music, movies and other art in the dialect.
4. ✅ You will be able to read classical literature and formal writings.
5. ❌ Grammar and pronunciation in MSA are not as forgiving.
6. ✅ There are more resources for learning MSA.

Conclusion

In the end, there are merits to learning both MSA and a dialect, and one will have to learn both eventually to have a full grasp of the Arabic language. I just think that learning a dialect before MSA is totally valid and can be more rewarding and useful for those who want to learn Arabic. Dialects are more approachable when you have the right resources and are more linked to their respective cultures. In fact, MSA is no one’s first language, as in there are no native speakers of MSA because it is only taught in school. That’s enough of a reason for me to learn a dialect first…