Speaking Like a Local: Guest Blog from Jane Hsu

Jane here, reporting live from the streets of Rabat!

Language has played an integral role in our research trip as we have been learning about the impacts of French colonization, Arabization policies, marginalized groups such as the Berbers, and many other language-related factors that influence the quality of education in Morocco. I'm sure with Meaghan's copious note-taking that theacademics of this topic are being fully documented so, I've decided my update will focus rather on something lighter and more personal ... the joys of learning Moroccan Arabic in the past two days!

I’ll start off by letting you in on a secret. I’m not really a linguistic rock star, but somehow got dubbed “The Linguist/Polyglot” last night at dinner when we were creating nicknames for everyone in the group. In this guest blog entry, I’m going to share handy tips on jumping into beginner’s Arabic, so you too can impress friends and locals next time you are in North Africa!

1. On the plane ride over when everyone else was watching the Narnia sequel, I wrote down some key phrases from our group’s Google doc “Visitor Guide to Morocco” so they would be easily accessible in my notebook for the rest of the trip.

2. At the airport while we were waiting to exchange money and claim bags, a bunch of us started trying out phrases. I kept asking Rachel (resident Arabic expert from her Moroccan Peace Corps days) to provide pointers on pronunciation. Then Kana and I practiced the greetings back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until they became rote…which I’m sure was a pleasure for everyone who was listening.

3. Mnemonic devices helped me survive the SAT’s and they still work just as well today! They don’t have make sense to anyone else, just quirky enough to stick in my head. Here are some examples (btw these spellings are not even close to correct but also help me remember).

“Afak” (Please) - sounds like Affleck (as in Ben).
“Bineen” (Delicious) - sounds like the country Benin.
“Ana FarHana” (I’m Happy) - sounds like Ana Faris.
“Bes Meela” (Let’s eat) - sounds like Best Meal (you say this before you start anything)
“SmeeTee” (My name is) - sounds like Smee (that pirate sidekick character in the movie Hook).
“Ana Midigadiga” (I’m tired) - sounds like Anna Ma Diga Diga (it`s just fun to say so easy to remember)
“El Awful” (You’re Welcome) - sounds like Awful.
“Safi” (Enough) - sounds like Afi’s name with an S in front.
“SmeH-liya” (Excuse Me) - sounds like Smell ya!
“Coolie” (Eat) - sounds like a derogatory Chinese reference (you say this when motioning to a girl to eat/you say Cool for a boy)
“Humdoola” (Praise be to God) - sounds like Humdinger. Is that a real word or just a Cranium category? (you use it to say something is good)

4. The first Moroccan we met was Rita’s husband who greeted us with a big smile when we got out of the airport. Someone encouraged me to try out my new phrases with him and I spit out a slew. He responded in a big belly laugh and loved the effort. From there my confidence grew.

5. I`ve been writing down more words in my trusty notebook as the days pass. We’ve been attending back-to-back Ministry of Education meetings (all in full force Francois since that is the language of the government, business, urban elite, etc.), so I haven’t had that many opportunities to try out my Arabic conversation skillz on the street, but today is a free day to explore downtown Rabat so I'm ready!