Intro to Arabic and the Arab World

Arabic

100

How many general groups of dialects are there?

5

200

What are the four domains where MSA (Al-FusHa is used?

1. Media

2. Literature

3. Government

4. Education

300

Arabic is the ______ most widely spoken language in the world. 

5th

400

How many main varieties of Arabic are there? What are they?

2: Dialect and MSA (Al-fusHa)

500

What are the Arabic dialect groups called?

1.  North African / Darija

2. Egyptian / Masri

3. Shaami

4. Gulfi / Khaliji 

5. Iraqi

The Alphabet

100

Arabic is written and read from ____________ to _____________. 

Right to Left

200

There are ________ letters in the Arabic alphabet

28

300

How many vowels are there?

Six

400

What are the categories of vowels?

Long and Short Vowels

500

There are symbols that are not vowels, but tell us about pronunciation. What are these symbols called called AND what are they?

Diacritics: Ash-shaddah and As-sukuun

Geography

100

What Arab country did Ustaadha Sydney live in?

Jordan

200

Arabic is the official or co-official language of ______ countries. 

23

300

True / False: Some might say that Turkey, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are located in the 'Middle East.' Arabic is the main language of communication in these countries and the majority of people are ethnically Arab. 

False; These are not Arab states, even if some of their neighbors are

400

What are the main regions where Arabic is used as an official language?

Middle East and North Africa

500

Arabic is named after the Arabs who lived in the ___________. 

Arabian Peninsula

Vowels and Letters

100

List the four shapes of our letters

1. Isolated

2. Initial

3. Medial

4. Final

200

True or False: Long vowels sound exactly like English vowels 

False: They are twice as long!

300

List the short vowels AND the sound they make

Al-FatHa (a)

Al-Kasra (i/e)

Ad-Damma (o/u)

400

What sounds do the diacritics indicate? 

As-Sukuun (no vowel sound between consonants)

Ash-Shaddah (doubles the emphasis of the letter)

500

What does the name Al-Harakat refer to?

The movement of the mouth when you pronounce the short vowels

Miscellaneous

100

What are the five language skills?

1. Reading

2. Writing

3. Speaking

4. Listening 

5. Grammar

200

Arabic is in what language family?

Semitic Language Family

300

What century can we trace Arabic back to?

4th Century

400

True or False: Everyone who grows up speaking Arabic speaks MSA (Al-FusHa) at home

False; MSA is formal and dialect is spoken at home

500

True or False: Dialects are a spoken and written language

False, only spoken