Hi there!
I have a friend who was learning MSA and now wants to learn an Arabic dialect, but she can’t find many resources for it.
Since there are not many resources for learning Arabic dialects, I have been thinking about creating a podcast to help people learn my dialect-- Levantine Arabic (I know there are differences between each Levantine dialect, but…).
Could you let me know what you guys are looking for that you have not found in the other Arabic podcasts that are out there already? And what format you guys would like?
I’m thinking of having the podcast start off with beginner materials, but not A0, more like A1/A2, but I might change my mind depending on what you recommend.
Yeah, I noticed that too. It seems like most of them are intermediate, for some reason. So, one for A1, that increases in difficulty, with clear translations and transcripts would be helpful?
Maybe you could start with content at an A1 Level and slowly move up through the levels by increasing the difficulty of the content?
I myself am somewhere between A2-B1, but my writing and reading (probably at B1 level) is much better than my speaking and listening comprehension (which is definitely not yet B1 in my opinion) despite having studied MSA for 5 years now (but the courses were mostly grammar centered and I only recently started with conversation lessons on iTalki and started to learn the Levantine (Jordanian) dialect).
Thanks so much for the tips! I think that’s a good idea.
Did you find it helpful to study MSA first, or would you have preferred to jump straight into learning the dialect if there were enough resources for it?
Also, feel free to private message me your email so that I could let you know when it comes out (I’m not sure exactly when that will be haha)
Well that was a question I’ve been pondering a long time before I started. I then did start with MSA because there was simply more material available and when I started a course at a local community college this was also only available in MSA (there are no dialect courses here in Austria as far as I know, at least I couldn’t find any).
I think it was the right way for me though, as MSA does give you a good foundation on which you can build and as I don’t “just” want to speak with natives but also want to some day read books and watch TV/news/movies, it was clear that I would need MSA anyway for some of these activities (and I might need Egyptian dialect for the movies, as most are dubbed in Egyptian dialect as I’ve heard so far, but one thing after the other … I’ve chosen the Levantine dialect, because I have friends from and in Jordan and it would be great to speak with them in their native language).
It’s good to hear your point of view on this. People are so divided on this topic. It’s such a controversial topic.
If you want to be able to read books, you will definitely need MSA. But for people who just want to talk to their friends from a specific country, a dialect is enough, in my opinion. It all depends on your goals and how high a level of Arabic you would like to have in the future. It could be useful to start with MSA for a foundation, just like you said.
I don’t mind either way. People can do what they want; language learning is very personal, after all!
It’s a pleasure, I really love talking about languages and language learning
Yes, it is a very personal thing and everyone has a different approach and different needs, but this also makes it so interesting to talk about and see what others are doing and which resources they’re using etc.
@ArabicFan123 This is a grand idea and I’d absolutely listen! I’m a near beginner at Levantine Arabic but podcasts are such a great way to gain some exposure that I would listen to any level. But something relatively simple with transcripts would be incredible. I think it’s a lot of work so even if you just record the occasional chat with friends that would be so cool.
I have started out without going through MSA. I’m currently learning the Levantine dialect alone. I have no idea if that’s the right choice, but it matches more with my goals - I want to be able to chat with people from Lebanon, Syria, etc. I’m also progressing very slowly so
MSA will give you a good base of the language and grammar. It all depends on your goals. If you want to be able to read and understand books, and news, it’s necessary. But for those who want to be able to speak with people from the Levant region, a dialect would allow them to connect with their friends on a deeper level.
I’ve created a Google Form that you could fill out if you would like me to email you once the Podcast is released You could also private message me your email, if you feel more comfortable with that.
The only podcasts I’ve found so far have all been way beyond my level. 
… I’ve chosen the Levantine dialect, because I have friends from and in Jordan and it would be great to speak with them in their native language).
