On not knowing Arabic

I can’t understand why people make such a fuss about not keeping New Year Resolutions. It’s always seemed to me that the whole point about them was precisely NOT to keep them. That is to say, broken resolutions are one of the ways we have for coming to terms with what we would like to do, but know that we never will. It’s a way of looking our own human frailty in the eye; of publicly acknowledging hopeless ambitions.

Giving up smoking? Losing weight? No. In my case the resolution in question is learning Arabic.

Why Arabic? Part of the reason is my own academic work. Some of the best, and least exploited, Roman materials and sites are in North Africa. And I am fed up, when I go there, with not being able to read the street signs, let alone be able to engage in the most limited local conversation (“restaurant Arabic” even).

I’d also like to be able to read Ottoman Turkish (which Arabic would, at least, help with – I know it’s not the same). The key eye-witness account of the Parthenon before it blew up in the middle of the seventeenth century is by a wonderful Ottoman Turkish traveller (Evliya Celebi); and I’ve only been able to read it in a modern Greek translation (or rather two modern Greek translations, each one significantly, and worryingly, different from the other). And I’m sure there’s more stuff where that came from.

But it’s also about understanding the modern, as well as the ancient, world. I don’t know if you noticed, but the taunts shouted at the hanging of Saddam, and the responses to them, were translated in subtly different ways by different reports. You got a strikingly different idea of the tone, and the formality (or lack of it) depending on which you listened to.

Even more to the point, though, I’d like to be able to read the Koran. It is even clearer here that you cannot rely on translations (just try comparing them – you sometime wouldn’t think you were reading the same book). And I would dearly like to be able to decide for myself. Take the often repeated claim that Islamist suicide bombers are acting in the hope (following the Koran) of getting to deflower 72 virgins on the other side. Really?  Surely this must be a religious metaphor, not a literal prediction – as it’s usually taken --  about what life will be like after death (no more or less metaphorical than Christian claims about blood and flesh, which Roman pagans also mis-read by taking literally, so painting the Christians as a load of nasty cannibals). But without being able to read the Koran myself, how will I know?

All very admirable. But I suspect it’s another failed ambition. For a start, from a quick peek at “Teach Yourself” lesson one, it’s very hard indeed. Not so hard if you learn it in Roman script, but that rather defeats the street sign objective. Second, there are so many different varieties. I’m told to begin with modern Egyptian Arabic. But that’s not going to get me very far towards the classical Arabic of the Koran. That looks as if it will take years more.

Besides, I have a nasty suspicion that I am too old. Does anyone learn a completely new language well after they get to be fifty? Or rather, do they have enough free hours in the day to do it properly? And frankly, wouldn’t I be more sensible to learn those languages that I am supposed to know – on the face of it, a reasonably impressive range of European tongues, ancient and modern – better? A fluent conversation in German might actually be more useful than the capacity to order a basic meal in downtown Cairo.

I don’t need a Resolution for that.

(And, by the way, someone might be good enough to tell me what the Arabic ayt the top of this post actually says. I hope a nasty surprise isn't in store!)

Comments

[Tahir Khan]

"And, by the way, someone might be good enough to tell me what the Arabic ayt the top of this post actually says. I hope a nasty surprise isn't in store!"

Salallahu Alaihi wa Sallam (the arabic)

Blessings and peace upon him - the "him" is the Messenger of Allah Most High, the Prophet Muhammad).

References:

The one who recites Darood Sharif once Allah sends ten blessings upon him, eradicates ten of his sins and improves ten of his grades. (Mishquat)

Undoubtedly Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet - O' you who believe! send upon Him and salute Him fully well in ampel quantity. (Al Qur'an part 22, Chapter 33, Section 7, Verse 56)

[Wallace Bryant]

Hello All and Especially Professor Doctor Mary Beard Concerning your article about learning Arabic Language. First off, I am over 50 years of age (53) and I am learning Arabic at the University of Arkansas. Secondly, Modern Standard Arabic is the closest of all the different forms of Colloquial Arabic language to the Fusha Classical Arabic language. Thirdly, being in Great Britain I would bet that thier are a large number of Masjid's that sponsor classical Arabic lessons by very Quran Literate folks so that you could learn MSA along with classical Arabic at the same time so as to see to the differences. Fourth, the classical Arabic was and is still alive with story telling by Bedouin in Jordan and the deserts of Saudi Arabia so it is yet possible to hear and experience this form of Arabic out side of religious settings. Also there are two variants of Quran reading/memorization techniques one is Tafsir and is musical and poetic, and I am sorry but I cant recall the other method at the moment but it is very different from the musical, poetic style. A person is able to learn to read and sound out the words in Arabic in a short period of time but the language a life time. Any way Cheers and have fun, With learning to read Arabic and those pesky street signs. Be forwarned the North African Arabic is filled with Berber and French and some Italian thrown in for good measure depending on where one my find themselves. Wallace Bryant

[Bodwyn Wook]

I Got my Arabic (and rather sufic & meditative Islam) in Morocco in the US 'Peace Corps' going on thirty years ago; whereas, one thing simply led to another. That was when I was thirty; and, now, at fifty-eight I am getting some /ojiwemowin/ (Ojibwe language) under my belt. In the interval, in my forties, I had two years of excellently-taught French, which last has given me access to reading everything in Italian, Spanish and /cet/. Languages are jolly things, and two hours in the ack-emma on the written work, with ones setting-up exercises, is worth four hours or more at any other time of day. The other thing is to fall asleep nightly to Dutch or something, on the shortwave -- hypnos helps! The real labour of love, though, is Old Norse & there is a great online course to be had for the asking:

http://www.hi.is/~haukurth/norse/

ALL The Best,

Bodwyn Wook 'abd al-'Abru

[Alex Drace-Francis]

I wanted to take up the issue of Islam and literalism. Postblogger says learning Arabic won’t lead to better understanding. Thornton says the Arabicity of the Koran is central to its value to believers, “that it defies translation in a way different from say the words of Jesus or Moses”. Simone rejects this, saying Jews feel the same about Hebrew, & that Greek is the exception. This might be true but only to some extent: there were debates about whether it was OK to translate Orthodox texts into other languages, and many faithful still feel drawn to the Greek, although Eastern-rite liturgies have been developed in a wonderful variety of tongues, from Albanian to Finnish. Literalism is a fairly general phenomenon in religions which privilege texts: witness Mel Gibson’s insistence on the use of Aramaic in The Passion of Christ (2004). Maybe the uniqueness of Islam is not that its adherents believe this but that a strong identification with one language has been successfully maintained.
Many works on Middle Eastern intellectual history assert that Muslim precepts prevented the development of printing. Nearly all derive directly or indirectly from Bernard Lewis’s citation of (the English translation of) the Flemish diplomat Ogier de Busbecq’s account of the Ottoman Empire Itinera Constantinopolitanum et Amasianum (1581): see Lewis, Emergence of Modern Turkey, p. 50-1. Busbecq says Turks he met told him the Koran wouldn’t be the Koran were it printed. I’ve often wondered if Busbecq’s affirmations actually have some correlative in Muslim pronouncements on the matter. I’ve read the documents finally authorizing printing in the 18th century (translated in Atiyeh, ed. The book and the Islamic world) but there are reasons why those who introduced printing to the Ottoman Empire would have wanted to avoid reference to previous interdictions. Did any Mufti or Sheikh ul-Islam actually say anything to this effect? Presumably after 20 days your Arabic (and Ottoman Turkish) is well up to speed…

[Ayad Rahim]

If only, my dear, Arabs/Muslims did treat the Quran metaphorically. They've got a long way to go. Most believers treat the Quran, very literally, and the ability to look at context is almost non-existent, such as a previous reader's note, that Islam had precedents, that Muhammad communed with Jews, that he borrowed freely from Jews and Christians. For Arabs, this is the last, perfected word of God -- in Arabic, a divine language -- THE divine language -- and Arabs, upon whom God soon bestowed his greatest gifts, are, thus, the perfect people.

Their inability to face up to their decline and fall -- from that exalted state -- is at the heart of the dilemma we face, now.

[Xjy]

The problem with being old is the motivation. Languages have to "learn themselves" - when you're young you can bully a language into submission.
Marx learnt to read Russian at the end of his life so he could study economic texts. Ovid was living among Goths when he learnt his getice.
So I would suggest taking a sabbatical, finding a monoglot but literate lover and concentrating on nothing else (than Arabic ;-) ) for most of a year.
Whatever you do, don't read Harry Halén's book "Biliktu Bakshi. The Knowledgeable Teacher. G. J. Ramstedt's Career as a Scholar" (http://www.sgr.fi/sust/sust229.html)

Also, I tend to think languages choose people rather than vice versa...

[JBS]

I was wishing just this morning on my way into the Istanbul main post office that Ottoman Turkish, that wondrous blend of Arabic and Turkish with just a dash of Persian, had been required of medievalists when I did my studies. Struggling mightily with Turkish alone since moving here, I stand in awe of my students (whom, fortunately, I teach Byzantine history in English with just a sprinkling of Greek) busily adding Farsi to their eloquent Turkish and Quranic Arabic. Ah well, we do want our students, like our children, to move beyond us, don't we?

[Julia Iskandar]

I'm always "stopping-and-starting" with Arabic, and will never learn it properly in any version, I don't think.

But can anyone tell me why place names require a definite article, as in "al-Anbar", "al-Basrah", and what is the rule exactly?

Thank you.

[Simone]

I think, if I understood Thornton correctly, what he is trying to say is, that since, for the Muslims, the Koran is actually the divine word of God, as transmitted in person, as it were, from God to Muhammed, there is a kind of divine aura about the language which is somehow impossible to translate. Anne seems to be saying more or less the same thing. Well, I can understand that, as far as it goes, but don't forget the same could be said for the Torah. For Jews, the Torah is the divine word of God, transmitted in person to Moses, in Hebrew, for a Hebrew-speaking people. In fact, the Greek of the New Testament seems to be the odd one out here, rather than the Arabic of the Koran.

[Carol A]

I am also in the midst of learning Modern Standard Arabic at the "young" age of 59. Unfortunately I am also learning Classical Greek (at university) and doing a few other things (like working & playing music) so time is sometimes in short supply. I thought I was making slow progress but the other night I heard people speaking Arabic on TV and actually understood them - wow!! The script is difficult, but not as daunting as Chinese characters.

[Alex Drace-Francis]

I agree with everything Sam Wilder says (including the learning tips - if you're not doing a language as your main specialism, start with the standard language & its morpho-syntaxis, & this initial effort repays, at least I found that).
It's just a shame more universities don't follow Sam's advice. A few years ago my cousin enrolled to do Greek and Arabic at Edinburgh, it was theoretically on the books but no-one had taken the two together for years so all the timetables clashed & he had to fight to be allowed to do it at all.
But it's partly also about student expectations, which universities need to cater for these days. Every year students who enrol on my course of Balkan history express more than mere 'wary befuddlement', they are amazed that Greece has anything to do with the Balkans. In fact it freaks some of them out so much that they actually start to get quite interested... But there are some good new initiatives, e.g. the School of Oriental & African Studies launched an MA in Greek & Turkish together; here at Liverpool you can do Classics & Egyptology.
By the way, I was interested to read that the celebrated Cambridge Arabist & translator of the Quran AJ Arberry had a Romanian wife of whom he speaks highly but very elliptically in his autobiographical sketch (Oriental essays, 1960)

[Sam Wilder]

Dear Professor Beard,
This is just to say that I for one find your last blog entry really thrilling and refreshing. I am a post-grad student doing Greco-Arabic studies (i.e. Aristotle among the Arabs more or less, though much more too!). Unfortunately, I've had to become fairly used to meeting with a kind of wary befuddlement all too often expressed by colleagues and teachers both in Classics (my old home) and in what is called in the US 'Near Eastern Studies' (which is where one finds Greco-Arabic). At the risk of trumpeting the urgency of just what happens to be my own specialization (a kind of trumpeting that is always just too transparently convenient), I'll say anyway that I am sometimes baffled that Classics departments so seldom have even one Arabist researching and teaching the vast Arabic (and Aramaic) traditions of classical Greek learning, not to mention Arabo-Latin medieval specialists, archaeologists who know the language, etc.. Not only because there is such rich and vast evidence on the ancient world to be had through Arabic, but also because the study of Arabic Islamic civilization itself is so greatly rewarding, and enriches our view of classical learning and ancient life so much. Apart from the occasional lip service for preserving Greek science until its rediscovery by modern Europe, the Arabic intellectual heritage seems to go pretty much unappreciated by today's Classics people. But enough griping. It's great to hear your more curious and unguarded sentiment. And, if I may, let me assure you that, if you decide it's really worth pursuing, you will have no problem with Arabic. I am almost certain about that. It's slow going for a while (sc. two years before you can read a newspaper) but word formation is incredibly predictable and precise once you get the hang of it, and syntax is a breeze. The difference between the daily informal speech of Cairo today and high classical idiom of the Koran is indeed vast, but much less so I'd say than that between, say, medieval Latin and French. My own strong advice would be not to start with the colloquial Egyptian, or at least not with that alone. I think at least some instruction in the modern standard language, which is used in almost all public media throughout the Arabic speaking world, is pretty indispensable, even if the main goal is road signs and restaurants. Anyway, good luck with the resolution, or with whatever else you pursue instead. Hope this is of some interest. Cheers.

[Nicola]

Wondered if you had come across a book called " the trouble with Islam " by Ishad Manji a lesbian feminist muslim refusnik. I think you would enjoy her contribution to the debate especailly on the virgin thing.

[carla]

well, I'm 53 and just the other day I was thinking of the joy I had, before, when I was "young", everytime I began a new adventure in learning something I really wanted to. I was quite surprised in realising that such a joy is not part of my life anymore. Not because I have "stopped" learning, which is a life long process becoming deeper and deeper, but because things have become so "serious" to me that I lost my entusiasm.
Somehow, reading your lines I felt that enthusiasm of yours, and it was really nice, a smiling consciousness which cheered me up: thankyou and good luck!

[Lord Truth]

If spoken Arabic is too difficult why not learn the easier Hebrew ?Hebrew was invented in a back bedroom in Camden Town in the 1890s and is largely Arabic spoken with a Jewish accent-even the expressions are the same ie Arab(meeting someone):Salem Al Akhoum-
Jew (meeting someone): Shalom El Ashoum...
You can of course learn "restaurant Arabic" by eating at any Jewish restaurant-the language and the food are virtually identical.

[Thornton]

I'm not an expert on comparative religion, but here's a very humble go at Simone's question.

In Christian theology (think, e.g., of the Gospel of John), the Christ or anointed one is the Word of God made flesh and not just another prophet. The Gospels record the words of the Word of God, but they themselves are not the Word of God (and I gather almost from the time that those words were set down in koine Greek--several generations after the death of Jesus in several different communities operating in languages different from those the person of Jesus spoke--it was understood to be preserving testimony of Jesus, not the Word of God per se). The person of Jesus, in this model, has a kind of sanctity that his verbal utterances don't (although that doesn't make his words irrelevant--just not the Word or the Law).

In Islam, the Quran or "recitation" is God's word revealed in Arabic to the prophet Mohammed. The Quran is thus an analog to how Christian theology has understood Jesus, viz. whereas Christian theology views Jesus as God's Word made flesh, the Quran is God's word revealed through the prophet Mohammed in Arabic. Desecration of defilement of the Quran is thus like physically defiling the person of Jesus.

I'm not positive about this, but I gather that just as it is important for Christian theology that God's Word was made manifest in an historical person with specific historical ancestors (because it fulfills certain prophesies, e.g., that the Messiah will be born of the lineage of David), so for Islam it is essential to the nature of God's revelation to the people of Arabia that it was made manifest in the language of Arabic.

Warning: this is all an amateur's understanding of highly contentious and debated terms, and hardly one intended to persuade about the truth of these matters.

[NSGill]

If you think of it as a giant (crossword) puzzle perhaps it will help you keep the resolution. All you are trying to do is decode enough Arabic to read street signs and (perhaps) to compare translations of the Koran with what the Arabic actually says. Study of ancient Greek begins with one dialect. Greek students then learn to translate the others, e.g., Homeric and Byzantine, which has some Turkish elements (as I recall). I don't think it would be that different for Arabic dialects. The languages you have already mastered and continued to work in may even make it easier for you now than when you were younger.

[Simone]

I have actually made three or four attempts to learn Arabic over the years - by which I mean, I actually started attending courses. But for some reason, the courses (each of them within a different framework) fizzled out, attendance dropped off and the courses were terminated. I have, nevertheless, managed to acquire a bit of "restaurant Arabic". Interestingly though, I find I now have enough of an ear for the language to discern when someone is speaking "good" Arabic (i.e. educated, "Prof. Higgins Arabic") or the Arabic of the street ("Liza Doolittle Arabic").

As for Thornton's comment: "it's worth noting that the Quran is God's revealed word in Arabic to the people who speak Arabic and on some level cannot be separated from the fact that it is revealed in Arabic, viz. that it defies translation in a way different from say the words of Jesus or Moses" - I'm not sure that I follow. Why does it defy translation in any way different from Hebrew or Greek?

[Mushtaq]

Prof Beard, why don't you pop along to the Faculty of Divinity (University of Cambridge) and speak to Tim Winter, who does speak fluent classical Arabic as well as Ottoman Turkish; I'm sure he can answer your questions.

[Kahraman]

Hi there.
Good luck with learning arabic.
Ottoman Turkish is Turkish written in arabic script.
Turkish grammar is much different than arabic, and probably a lot harder to learn for someone who has no experience with aglutinative languages.
Although my arabic is very limited, I have experienced that Arabic was easy to learn and to grasp once you learned the script and some basic grammar.

Evliya Celebi had an excellent grasp of arabic and persian and many times inserts words and notions from these languages in his Turkish reports. This makes his reports even more difficult to understand

[Thornton]

It's not a huge issue--but I should point out that Anne is attributing the comments of postblogger (the self-identified "rabid atheist") to me and thinking that the name of the person commenting precedes the comment (rather than comes after it, as is the case). Actually, I think I disagree with about 99% of what postblogger wrote (and the the comment's tone, for that matter).

I'm no specialist in Islam, but it's worth noting that the Quran is God's revealed word in Arabic to the people who speak Arabic and on some level cannot be separated from the fact that it is revealed in Arabic, viz. that it defies translation in a way different from say the words of Jesus or Moses. Of course, a rabid atheist isn't going to have a lot of sympathy for any notion of the revealed Word of God, but certainly a scholar hoping to arrive at a charitable and accurate understanding of a subject would be sensitive to such a linguistic fact.

[Anne]

Hi Mary,

First of all, I want to congratulate you for coming up with a cool resolution such as learning Arabic!!!! This is my second year of studying Arabic and I love it. The script is beautiful, the history is fantastic, and it's all quite spiritual. I really hope you continue with the program because it may be difficult at first but as you go on, you'll be motivated by the vast number of self-discoveries in this pursuit and it will help your process of learning.

As for Thornton's comments:
>>On to the comment - I can see that learning arabic would be nice, but when you imply that the main reason you'd like to learn Arabic is because you'd like to read the Koran "to be able to decide for myself", what is it that you want to decide? Whether it's the revealed word of God? It's not.<<

That is exactly what Mary probably does not want...people telling her whether the Koran is or is not the revealed word of God. And I must say that once you start reading the Koran in the original Arabic, not only is it beautiful but you realize that no human being has the capacity to so beautifully write Divine words. And don't limit yourself to my comments of the Koran...just wait and see for yourself after some rigorous Arabic!!!

[Haroon Shirwani]

Arabic CAN appear daunting, what with all the varieties. It depends a lot on how it's presented. Some approaches can make the first steps appear far more complicated than need be. It depends on your aims. If you would like to understand the Koran, that is very straightforward - as a Classicist (and therefore someone who knows about case endings) you will probably need about 10 hours of instruction in order to be able to follow the text with the aid of a parallel translation. Speaking to Moroccans involves a separate but also quite straightforward process. If you stick at it, you will be amazed and delighted to see the ways in which these two processes intertwine and interact. The reason why a lot of us Arabists fall in love with the language and then keep it going is precisely because of this delicious array of variations which mean you never get bored: A 7th century Arabian ode, a concert in 1960s Cairo, a debate between students of the Koran, a speech at the UN, the chit-chat of a Marseilles grocer… They all flow back to the same source.

[Francis]

My parents learned "restaurant" Russian in their 60s and a few years earlier my father also learned enough theological German to see what had been written about St Symeon the New Theologian by some Germans.

In re the 72 virgins - part of the problem with the Koran is that it has not been subjected to much if any exegesis or related research because the more radical followers of the religion get homicidally upset at anyone pointing out that (for example) a significant chunk of it appears to be derived from christian Aramaic texts particularly ones to do with the monophysite heresy. About the only work in existence is Christoph Luxenberg's book, Die Syro-Aramaische Lesart des Koran (assuming you can read German)

[AHNasrbasher]

Cato learnt Greek at the age of 80? He must have retired from his job as Clouseau's butler then.

[Ed Husain]

The Arabic at the top of your post is a prayer Muslims recite when the name of their beloved Prophet is mentioned. It means 'Peace and Prayers of God be Upon Him (the Prophet)'.

Good luck with your pursuit of Arabic.

[Thornton]

I.F. Stone apparently learned Greek quite well at the end of his life. Paul Woodruff has an interesting account of him in his new book, First Democracy: The Challenge Of An Ancient Idea.

As for Arabic: I started studying it in my late 30's, and certainly the script--although very beautiful--is a challenge. I think trying to learn Arabic in Roman script would actually be detrimental to understanding the language. To begin with, you'll never encounter Arabic written right to left in Roman script except in a "teach yourself" guide--it would be like learning Greek in transliteration (basically useless for any written Greek, either ancient or modern).

Good luck!

[postblogger]

As is the way with comments, I agree with 90% of your post, so I'm going to pick on the 10% which I'm confused by and make a meal of it. I should also say right now that I'm a rabid atheist, which obviously colours what I'm about to write. It also means that you can substitute any other religious text for 'Koran' and the argument below holds.

On to the comment - I can see that learning arabic would be nice, but when you imply that the main reason you'd like to learn Arabic is because you'd like to read the Koran "to be able to decide for myself", what is it that you want to decide? Whether it's the revealed word of God? It's not. Whether its precepts should be followed? Maybe, but not because they happen to be in the Koran. People have been debating its meaning for generations and fought wars over their interpretations - what do you hope to be able to decide that they couldn't?

I can see that closer inspection will tell you more about what people believe, but if you want to know that, why not just ask them? Practically the definition of a religious text is that once you've finished it, the one thing you WON'T be able to do is decide anything about it for yourself. Religious intercessors the world over would be out of a job if that were the case.

[Mary]

SAYING that you have learned a language is rather different from learning it .. I would say to Ovid (or Cato, if I dared)!

[Alex Drace-Francis]

And Ovid was just over fifty when (as I mentioned in an earlier post), he took up the study of Getic and Sarmatian:
Omnia barbariae loca sunt uocisque ferinae,
omniaque hostilis plena timore soni.
Ipse mihi uideor iam dedidicisse Latine:
nam didici Getice Sarmaticeque loqui.
(Tristia Book 5, Part 12)
Salaam alekum, and best of luck!

[bingley]

>>Besides, I have a nasty suspicion that I am too old. Does anyone learn a completely new language well after they get to be fifty?<<

What happened to Cato learning Greek at age 80?