Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Language Institute

Arabic Language Sustainment Resources

 

This Arabic Language Sustainment Resources webpage serves as a useful resource for Arabic language learners and individuals who wish to keep up their Arabic language skills, improve their communicative skills, and learn about Arab culture and contemporary political and social events in the Arab world.

The following list is by no means exhaustive; however, it provides a good starting point for expanding your knowledge of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), its language and culture.

Originating in the Arabian Peninsula around the 8th century BCE, Arabic is the official language of 22 countries. It is a language primarily associated with the Middle East and North Africa. It is also the language in which the Holy Quran was originally written in.

Arabic is a member of the Semitic language family which includes Aramaic, Amharic (spoken in Ethiopia), Hebrew, Tigre (spoken in South Sudan), Tigrinya (spoken in Ethiopia and Eritrea), and Maltese.

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Dictionaries

  • The AraMaster: A good dictionary for beginner and intermediate learners.
  • Aratools: A useful tool for learning words and their root (masdar)
  • Arabterm.org: A good database for translating technical and political terms.
  • Reverso: Contains thousands of entries and their Arabic translation.

Colloquial Arabic (Egyptian and Levantine)

  • Lisan Masry: An extensive set of learning colloquial Egyptian Arabic.
  • Lughatuna: A great resource for both Egyptian and Levantine dialect including tens of thousands of definitions and proverbs.
  • Culture App: A great comparison of Arabic and English scenarios.

Podcast, Radio & Print Media

Podcast

  • ArabicPod 101: This podcast gives you access to thousands of audio and text lessons, organized with the best content for your level and needs.
  • SALIS: Helps expand your vocabulary and understand the nuances of Egyptian Arabic.
  • The Arabic We Speak: This podcast is most appropriate for upper-beginner to intermediate learners. Each episode explores Arab traditions and everyday experiences.
  • Levantine Arabic, Made Easier: Listen to captivating topics and lively interviews.
  • Learn Levantine with Livi: Livi helps you improve your colloquial Arabic and develop a deeper understanding of the Arabic language.
  • BilMasri: This podcast bridges the Egyptian dialect and Modern Standard Arabic.
  • El Bulbul: A limited series podcast for intermediate and advanced learners of Jordanian Arabic.

Radio

  • BBC Arabic: Listen to BBC Arabic live streaming 24 hours.
  • Al Emarat FM: Listen to Al Emarat FM 95.8 internet radio online.
  • Nogoum FM: Broadcasting from Cairo providing Arabic Contemporary Hits music, talk and information.
  • Sawt El Shaab: Broadcast radio station from Beirut providing News, Talk, Interviews, and Old Arabic Songs.
  • Top Arabic Music Stations: Just click, listen and enjoy Arabic Music.

Magazines

  • Forbes Middle East: A vital source for the region’s latest business and financial news and analysis.
  • National Geographic Arabic: Takes you on a journey that’s always enlightening, often surprising, and unfailingly fascinating.
  • Nature: Contains high-quality science news from the original Nature Journal.
  • Entrepreneur Alarabiya: This is the Arabic language edition of Entrepreneur Middle East.
  • Sayidaty: A weekly Arabic women’s magazine published in both Riyadh and Beirut and distributed throughout the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and America.
  • Arageek: An independent online platform focused on reporting the latest digital innovations, pop-culture and trends to Arab millennials.

In Arab countries, soccer (football) is the most popular sport. Some of the best soccer players in the world have come from the Middle East and North Africa. Watch highlights from soccer games with Arabic commentary below.

Other sports you can follow include basketball, swimming, and horse racing.

Source: Daily Sabah

Source: Al-Monitor

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are home to some of the world’s richest cuisines, which reflect the diverse cultures of the region.

  • Samira Cholagh: Samira Cholagh takes you step-by-step through some of the most delicious Arabic dishes on her YouTube channel.
  • Just Food: Learn more about Arabic cuisine.

Source: Munchery

The MENA region is known for its rich multicultural production and Arabic music has a long history and is diverse in style and dialect. Also, Arabic entertainment, such as TV and talk shows, is increasingly becoming popular around the world.

  • Arabic Music Radio Stations: Listen to various Music genres from different Arab countries.
  • Classics: Listen to Traditional and classical Arabic Music on YouTube.
  • Bassem Yousef: Dubbed the Jon Stewart of the Arab World, Bassem is the host of the political satire show El-Bernameg.

Arabic literature dates back some 16 centuries in the Arabian Peninsula. Arabs have produced literature in different genre and birthed literary icons such as Imru’ al-Qays, Al-Mutanabbi, Naguib Mahfouz, and Mahmoud Darwish.

Learn More about Arabic literature:

Arabic arts, or Islamic arts as they are sometimes called, have a long history dating back many centuries. From architecture to painting to calligraphy to pottery, Arabic art encompasses many different forms.

You can learn more about Arabic/Islamic art and history by reading:

 

We live in a world of technology, from new scientific discoveries to break throughs in technologies.

Get all your information from the world of science and technology here:

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Learn about the University of Wisconsin-Madison from Wikipedia Arabic and other sites.

Media

Films and TV Shows

  • Neflix: Watch Arabic Movies & TV Romantic dramas, funny comedies, scary horror stories, and action-packed thrillers.
  • Top 50: Arabic Contemporary Movies
  • Joe Show: An Arabic talk show and political satire television program.
  • #ABTalks: An interview with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and influencers.
  • Kalam Nawa’em: A social talk show that discusses a number of family and social issues of concern to Arab women and respect for Arab family traditions.
  • Nuqtat Hewar: Talking Point (Nuqtat Hewar) is a TV and Radio phone-in program broadcast on BBC Arabic Service.

Music

Six Songs for Learning Arabic with Music

 

Instructor Resources

The NFLC at University of Maryland just launched their new e-Learning Portal this past month, which contains resources in many of our languages.

Content Curator

Jibril Gabid

Jibril is a doctoral candidate and Arabic instructor in the Department of African Cultural Studies. Jibril holds a master’s degree in Arabic Language and Literature from the American University in Cairo and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Ghana. His current research focuses on West African Arabic and Muslim intellectual history.

Contributor

Reem Itani

Reem Itani is a student/program assistant at the Language Program Office (LPO). She is majoring in violin performance and political science with two certificates in African and Middle East studies. Reem speaks English, Spanish, and Arabic, which is her family’s first language. In collaboration with Professor Katrina Thompson, she is researching the revolutionary politics of LGBTQ+ individuals in the Middle East.