Mandatory Arabic Classes Coming To Some Texas Schools

Easier indeed since you use the same alphabet. Arabic becomes more difficult for several reasons. One is there are many guttural sounds. German has gutteral words, but they pale in comparison to those of Arabic. Second, unlike French, you must learn the Arabic alphabet in order to read words. This in itself is inhibiting. I'm not saying it can not be done, it is simply more challenging and perhaps more akin to learning Russian that also requires attention to significant alphabet differences.

I'm with you RdF. I wish I were fluent in several languages. Instead I know bits and pieces and have forgotten much due to lack of practice. Beyond German, I once knew enough of Vietnamese to go anywhere and make myself understood. Sadly that is all gone now.

Rockdoc Franz wrote:

SS109 wrote: Interesting point with regard to travel in the ME. While you can get a visitor visa to Bahrain and some UAE states, you need a sponsor everywhere else but Kuwait. Qatar in not open to tourism, nor is it a regular stop to anywhere.

Spent a lot of time in Doha during the Gulf War, and I did'nt even have to have anything other than my passport if I remember correctly- It wouldnt have been smart to create a bunch of red tape for people coming over to save your ass.

Arabic was the hardest language I've learned.
(It didn't help that I was over 40 when I started)

In HS, I learned French. I've never really used it, although I had 4 years of it.

I tried Korean and Russian in College (Russian was awful I forgot it all- Korean isn't bad until you get into the hierarchical verb forms - which are essential in the language). The Russian helped in the Soviet Union. I never had a chance to try out my Korean (other than writing a Korean missionary friend).

Why learn languages? Well - although English is really the world's leading business language - most of the world doesn't speak it as a first language. And - one easy way to show respect for someone is to learn their language.

As Americans, we tend to insist that people adjust to our preferences (language, culture, etc.). I think we can remove social and emotional barriers when we put ourselves in their shoes.

Qatar is a world-gateway, these days (Qatar Airlines is one of the world's best rated - it sits between Asia and the West ). Their desire to dominate in areas like sports/athletics/business/education ---- has opened a lot of doors. Americans can get visas on-the-spot, these days. I've done it.

On passports/visas ---

I secured on-the-spot visas in the UAE, Qatar (Doha), Lebanon, Egypt, Oman, Yemen, Turkey, and a free-zone in Iran.

I'm not sure about Bahrain - but there's more Americans there than Bahrainis - so I'm guessing you can get instant visas there, too.

I'd note that if you're in a taxi in most of the Gulf region - Arabic is less useful than Pasto (the language spoken in the Afghanistan/Pakistan border area).

German was fairly easy to learn for me. I can now remember enough to carry on a short conversation only. But then again growing up over there helped. My relatives made a difference also.

A Bahrain visa is easy to obtain. Used to go there on weekends for a mini vacation while living in Saudi, also went there to satisfy leaving the UAE after a specified period of time to satisfy their visa requirements.

bailey bud wrote: On passports/visas ---

I secured on-the-spot visas in the UAE, Qatar (Doha), Lebanon, Egypt, Oman, Yemen, Turkey, and a free-zone in Iran.

I'm not sure about Bahrain - but there's more Americans there than Bahrainis - so I'm guessing you can get instant visas there, too.

I'd note that if you're in a taxi in most of the Gulf region - Arabic is less useful than Pasto (the language spoken in the Afghanistan/Pakistan border area).

My brother flew for Air Emirates, then was the #1 pilot hired for Bahrain Air, the first pilot hired, Now he's back in Sri Lanka with their national Airline. He has a resort there and was laid off for 10 years when the Tamil Tigers burned the Sri Laken fleet to the ground on the tarmac in Columbo back then. He's really happy to be out of the oppressive and expensive Mid East. Sri Lanka is a paradise. Lobster and a bunch of beers for $6! Beautiful beaches, friendly people, elephants walking around in the yard. Were goingfor a month in July. You can't even kiss your wife in public in Dubai and you can get a serious smuggleing charge if you get caught with beer in your trunk in certain parts of the city. I don't want to get political but if we let the Republicans have their way we'll be living under a similarly archiac christian theocracy. They'll take us back to the dark ages.

Vice Lord wrote: . He has a resort there and was laid off for 10 years when the Tamil Tigers burned the Sri Laken fleet to the ground on the tarmac in Columbo back then. He's really happy to be out of the oppressive and expensive Mid East.

So - he left the "oppressive" Middle East (which only got expensive about 3 years ago) --- for the land of the Tamil Tigers? Given the choice - I'd take Dubai.

You can't even kiss your wife in public in Dubai and you can get a serious smuggleing charge if you get caught with beer in your trunk in certain parts of the city.

Clarification - you can't have sex on the beach in Dubai (and ignore the police officer who asks you to please stop). That case was blown way out of proportion. They would have been arrested on most US beaches, too.

Beer in your trunk - that would be the dry Emirate of Sharjah - which is next to Dubai (funded in part by Saudi contributions). Even there --- they likely wouldn't do too much if you have a US or UK passport. If you were a Muslim from say Pakistan or Egypt - you'd be in trouble, though. Chances are, you'd earn yourself a one-way ticket home.

Again - a few isolated cases, blown way out of proportion.

(this has been a paid public announcement of UAE-America. Call now for a free pamphlet showing exciting new travel options to Dubai).

Arabic was the hardest language I've learned.
(It didn't help that I was over 40 when I started)

Same here on both counts. For me, two years of Latin was manditory in my Houston high school and it helped tremendously with the Romance languages but Egyptian Arabic? Not so much. I became fairly fluent because we spent the first year in an area with very few foreigners or even English-speaking Egyptians but never did learn to read or write the language.

Mandatory Arabic Classes In Texas Schools On Hold

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