Your guide to learning Levantine Arabic dialect: Levantine dialect refers to the Arabic language spoken by people who live in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. It’s a dialect inextricably linked to the history and the culture of the region and it is also the most instantly recognisable.

Arabic users from Morocco to the Gulf States can usually understand a Levantine Arabic speaker, even if the reverse is usually not true. Some also say it’s the easiest dialect to learn as it closely mirrors Modern Standard Arabic (known as fussha in Arabic).

General Information about Levantine Arabic 

What is the Levant and Levantine Arabic? 

The Levant is a region of the Middle East associated with the Eastern Mediterranean. Typically the countries included in this region are Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine, though broader definitions may also include Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt, and a small portion of Iraq. The population of the Levant totals about 44.5 million people, with a rich diversity of cultures and ethnicities. These ethnicities include Arabic, Aramaic, Armenian, Assyrian, Circassian, Domari, Greek, Hebrew, Kurdish, Turkish, and others! 

The Levant has been able to foster such a diverse group of peoples and cultures because of its location in the literal cradle of civilization known as the Fertile Crescent. This positioning on the globe–which also connected Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa–has made this region the original melting pot, influenced throughout history by a myriad of civilizations and empires including the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. These histories remain influential even today.

With a past so incredibly rich and a present such a blend of cultures, learning Levantine Arabic is the key to accessing the diverse world that lives within this region, as well as the Arab diaspora at large.

What are the Levantine Subdialects? 

The subdialects of Levantine Arabic are predominantly divided into two main subgroups: Northern and Southern Levantine.

Also known as Syro-Lebanese Arabic, North Levantine Arabic is spoken in the northern countries of the Levant such as Lebanon, and specific territories such as Turkey’s coastal regions of Adana, Hatay, and Mersin and the regions of Syria bordering Aleppo, Damascus, and the Mediterranean.

Southern Levantine Arabic is the other subdialect, spoken in Palestine and across most of Jordan. It’s also spoken in Syria’s southern region, particularly in the Hauran. 

The differences between Levantine Arabic dialect and Modern Standard Arabic

Many institutions will teach Modern Standard Arabic claiming that the latter is more useful for  business, reading newspapers, official documents and is more recognisable around the Arabic speaking world. However, if you want to learn the Arabic spoken by Arabic people, then you need to learn the dialect. There will be some pronunciation differences and some grammatical structures are slightly different (usually harder in Modern Standard).

There will also be some vocabulary differences, although the majority of the language will be transferable from Modern Standard Arabic and the Levantine Dialect; because the Levantine dialect is the closest to the Modern Standard, there are less differences than between Modern Standard and a North African dialect, for example.

Where to learn Levantine Arabic dialect

You can learn Levantine Arabic in your home country through a language school, a university, a personal tutor or even online. However, to improve your language level rapidly, we recommend you learn language in the region for the full immersive language learning experience. For improving your pronunciation and your vocabulary in particular, nothing beats constantly speaking with native speakers – even when they are not your teachers, they will be more than willing to help you and ensure you are speaking the language correctly.

There are plenty of organisations with which you can study the local dialect in the Levantine region. There are intensive language courses with language schools, universities and NGOs. Then there are volunteer programmes which feature you providing some organisational service in return for language learning. You can also explore the option of a language exchange, where you visit an Arabic country to stay with a host family and teach them your native language in return for Arabic tuition.

Levantine Arabic language courses in Palestine and Germany

Furthermore, you can study Levantine Arabic at the Excellence Center in Europe in the city of Halle, Saale, Germany. The center offers various of  Arabic courses including Modern-Standard Arabic, Shami Arabic (Levantine Arabic) and Palestinian Arabic.

Finally, The Excellence Centers in Palestine and Germany offer has various online Levantine Arabic language courses. They both have experience in teaching languages including Arabic. Each centre hires qualified teachers who hold degrees in Arabic literature or English literature.

Summer Intensive Arabic programs

For students interested in studying Intensive Levantine Colloquial Arabic through the summer, the Engage in Palestine offers Arabic programs that span from June to August. These Levantine Arabic immersion courses are ideal for students with a summer break or any individuals looking to study on an extended visit

Our Summer Levantine Colloquial Arabic courses include 4-6 hours of Arabic class per day, which gives students more continuous time with the Arabic language immersion.These summer Arabic immersion programs combine this language focus with a full learning and engagement in Palestinian culture, politics and history.

Arabic Program Structure

The Summer Intensive Levantine Arabic Immersion Program will have Arabic classes for all levels held five days a week, with two days devoted to field trips in and around Hebron and the West Bank conducted entirely in Arabic.

A wide range of Arabic dialects

Our Summer Intensive Arabic program covers a wide range of Arabic dialects including:

• Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)
• Classical Arabic اللغة الفصحى
• Palestinian Colloquial Arabic
• Colloquial Levantine Arabic
• Ammiya (اللهجة العامية) Arabic

In addition, the Excellence Center also offers each dialect in varying levels of difficulty including starters, beginners, intermediates and advanced learners. With 80 hours of Arabic language instruction per monthly session, you will study your desired dialect in class for four hours a day, five days a week.

List of the Levantine Arabic immersion programs

We provide several immersive Levantine Arabic programs here at the Excellence Center in Hebron varying from super-intensive, intensive, and non-intensive to accommodate your language goals year round.

Please check out the following Levantine Arabic programs:

Additional tips for learning Levantine Arabic dialect

There are plenty of other ways you can learn and practise the Levantine dialect outside of lessons. For example, there are plenty of good Arabic films and shows you can watch with subtitles to improve your language level rapidly.

You can also listen to Arabic songs to pick up the lyrics and read articles online about the things which you’re interested in to build your vocabulary and reading skills. Also texting and phone calling native speakers is a great way to continue

Learning Levantine Arabic dialect through intensive courses in Palestine

One option is take intensive Arabic lessons with the Excellence Center in Hebron in the West Bank. The Center offers lessons in the local dialect, and you have the option to learn Modern Standard Arabic alongside that as well. If you choose to take the intensive Arabic course, you will be assigned a personal Arabic tutor who will oversee you progress with up to five hours a day of Arabic tuition (depending on the flexibility of your schedule).

You will have the opportunity to practise with native Arabic speakers constantly through out the day as well to reinforce all of your classroom learning.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Excellence Center to Study Levantine Arabic dialect some time soon in the near future! We hope you enjoyed reading Your guide to learning Levantine Arabic dialect article. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Rafat@excellencenter.org

Additional information

Please click here (Frequently Asked Questions) to find more information regarding accommodation, visa, and the application process, etc. 

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