More resources to speak Emirati

For those who want to learn the Emirati dialect, a new dictionary could be handy

Abdulla al Kaabi shows his first edition of the “Emirati Ramsa” dictionary. Ravindranath K / The National
Powered by automated translation

For Arabic language learners, particularly those who live in this country, learning the Emirati dialect would be more useful than learning classical or modern Arabic. The good news is that there is a growing basket of tools available online and in print, including the new Spoken Emirati phrase book, written by Hanan Al Fardan and Abdulla Al Kaabi of Al Ramsa Institute.

As The National reported yesterday, the pocket dictionary includes tips on learning the Emirati dialect, accurate pronunciation and simplified translations of the most used local idioms and words, such as greetings, emotions, colours and numbers. The 120-page book, which will be launched at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair next month, also includes a guide to "Arabizy", an informal writing style featuring Arabic words written with a mix of English letters and numbers.

The book follows several initiatives to preserve and encourage the use of the Emirati dialect. For example, the iPhone application Thikrayat, designed by Faisal Jassim and Thani Al Shafar, provides a tool to learn local words and phrases with pictures and illustrations. Another app, Dubai Emoji, features famous landmarks, cultural symbols and Emirati words and phrases for those who would like to use them in their online conversations.

Having interesting and contemporary material available for language learners is very important to motivate people to learn our brand of Arabic, which is typically considered to be hard and requires quite a bit of effort, even by Arabic speakers from other countries. Learning the language opens a window to the local culture and fosters better understanding between locals and expatriates – and that can only be a good thing.

It’s also useful for the new generation of Emiratis – who are increasingly using the English language – to have access to fun tools to learn and practise the local language. This could connect them to the past and encourage them to never stop using their mother tongue.