Arabic can be difficult for non-native speakers — I’m not shy to admit I struggle with any language that doesn’t use the Roman alphabet. Babbel rates it as one of the hardest due to the fact that some sounds common in Arabic are uncommon (if not completely unheard of) in English, and because there are several varieties in dialect throughout the Arabic-speaking world. Speaking with TNW, Duolingo learning scientist Hope Wilson cited the same problems as roadblocks to building the app’s exercises: I’ve been testing the course myself for a few days and, as with all languages, repetition definitely helps. Seeing the same letters for the same sounds or collection of sounds makes it much easier to “assign” them appropriately. Also, hearing it broken down to sounds first definitely helps the language feel less intimidating. The last time I tried to learn, I had to use flash cards — this is infinitely better. Arabic is also rife with phrases that are dependent on social context, or which are expected to be used as a call-and-response. Dr. Emilie Zuniga, who has a Ph.D in Arabic Linguistics and who worked as a consultant on the course, told TNW that teaching those formulas was tricky. “Off the top of my head, I can think of a dozen that are used on a daily basis: ‘Good morning.’ ‘Good evening.’ ‘Peace be upon you.’ All of those have a specific answer that you’re expected to give.” Arabic is also a language with wildly different dialects. Speaking as someone who once listened to a lot of what my local record store called “world music,” a Levantine Arabic singer sounds very different to one from Morocco. According to Wilson, Duolingo chose to use Modern Standard Arabic, a dialect that’s universally understood (if a little formal). Dr. Zuniga said the point was to both help non-native speakers navigate a wide swatch of the world, and to represent the largest possible percentage of the people in that world: If I have one criticism of the Arabic course, it’s that sometimes it doesn’t exactly teach you how to appropriately imitate a sound — specifically, the sounds Wilson mentioned that aren’t used in English. There’s a world of difference in sounds depending on the placement of the teeth and the tongue, and it’s hard to mimic a dance if you’re just kind of guessing the steps. For example, there’s a sound in one of the early language packs that’s romanized as “dh.” It sounds somewhere between a “d” and a “th,” and that’s not a sound I’m used to making, so it’s hard to imitate by ear alone. Other than that, it’s a good course that rounds out Duolingo’s offerings. It’s nice to see another common language join the likes of more obscure courses like Hawaiian or Navajo (not to mention fictional ones like Klingon and High Valyrian). If you’re interested, you can access the Duolingo Arabic course here.
