Is Hebrew Relatively Easier Than Arabic For Non-Semitic?

JIAJIA   Sat Jul 26, 2008 5:42 am GMT
Is Hebrew Relatively Easier Than Arabic For Non-Semitic Learners?

First, please give the answer, second, please state detailed reasons.

Remark: ( I know clearly that Arabic is more important than Hebrew.)

Thank you very much for your patient explaination. I'm native Mandarin Chinese speaker.
Guest   Sat Jul 26, 2008 5:53 am GMT
Dunno much, but Hebrew is much more uniform whereas "Arabic" alone doesn't even exist! There are hundreds of dialects of Arabic many of which are not mutually intelligible. I've heard many people voice the opinion that "Arabic" is actually many different languages with the same name.
JIAJIA   Sat Jul 26, 2008 6:11 am GMT
Which one is the most important/useful dialect among Arabic world?
And, Is Standard Arabic derived from the most spoken/important dialect?

Thanks again!
Guest   Sat Jul 26, 2008 8:53 am GMT
It is based on the classical Arabic used in the Koran.
Guest   Sat Jul 26, 2008 6:48 pm GMT
Egyptian Arabic has prestige in the Arab world. It is understood outside of Egypt, thanks to the numerous TV shows and movie in this dialect.
Skippy   Sat Jul 26, 2008 10:11 pm GMT
So... Is Hebrew easier than Arabic?
Guest   Sat Jul 26, 2008 10:14 pm GMT
Which Arabic does Osama bin Laden speak?
Skippy   Sun Jul 27, 2008 2:57 am GMT
Isn't he originally from Saudi Arabia?
Guest   Sun Jul 27, 2008 2:58 am GMT
How would a bunch of terrorists from different countries communicate? Is there a common dialect they'd use? What language did they speak in the cockpit of the WTC planes?
JIAJIA   Sun Jul 27, 2008 3:42 am GMT
Which dialect do "United Arab Emirates" and "Saudi Arabia" people speak as their own Arabic language? I'm getting more interested in both of these 2 Arabic countries.
Guest   Sun Jul 27, 2008 4:45 am GMT
<<Which dialect do "United Arab Emirates" and "Saudi Arabia" people speak as their own Arabic language?>>

They speak more than one dialect of Arabic in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

- Hejazi Arabic is spoken in the western region of Saudi Arabia, including the cities of Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina, and is the most widely understood dialect on the Arabian Peninsula.
- Baharna Arabic is spoken in parts of the Saudi Eastern Province.
- Najdi Arabic is spoken in the deserts of eastern and central Saudi Arabia, including the capital city of Riyadh.
- Gulf Arabic is spoken in the UAE and eastern and central Saudi Arabia
- Shihhi Arabic is spoken in the Musandam Peninsula of UAE.
JIAJIA   Sun Jul 27, 2008 5:24 am GMT
Two questions as follows:

1, If somebody wants to live and work in "Dubai" of "UAE", then which dialect should he choose to learn?

2, Hejazi Arabic, Baharna Arabic, Najdi Arabic, Gulf Arabic, Shihhi Arabic, which one is mostly close to "Standard Arabic"(Written Arabic)?

Thanks!
Guest   Sun Jul 27, 2008 7:04 am GMT
1. He will most likely hear Gulf Arabic spoken in Dubai, so that's what he should learn if he wants to sound native.

2. Every Arabic speaker, whether he be from Iraq, Palestine, Libya, Jordan, Syria, Yemen, Oman, etc. claims his dialect is closest to fusha! LOL.
Guest   Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:16 pm GMT
... so that's what he should learn if he wants to sound native.

Why should a foreigner want to sound native?
guest2   Sun Jul 27, 2008 5:18 pm GMT
JIAJIA,

From what I know, Hebrew is probably a little easier, even besides the dialect choice you'd face with Arabic. The pronunciation of Modern Hebrew should be no problem for a Mandarin speaker. The only sound that gives some people trouble is the 'kh' sound (as in German 'Bach'), which is not too far different from the sound in standard Mandarin. The 'r' is pronounced like Parisian French or German. Arabic has pharyngeal consonants that are difficult for most people.

Printed Hebrew is also probably a little easier to read than printed Arabic, which also has medial forms one has to learn. Both languages have the difficulty in not indicating most of the vowels, but you can get Hebrew texts, children's books, and newspapers for learners that use the vowel points.

People who have studied both languages have said that Arabic grammar is a little more complicated than Hebrew.