Tololy's Box

hada eshe ana bashofo mo healthy,

i think its not professional… to be clear, (personally) i only read english posts… i avoid any blogs which use anyother language as its primary language… english is mainstream, and reaches greatest audience. seriously, i think this particular post doesnt make sense to any non-arabic speaker…
i even avoid arabic language in chat…

obviously not all your posts target ‘everybody’ so maybe using arabicitalianwhatever could be justified.

It’s not healthy to write Arabic words in English letters. On the other hand, in some cases we use English or Latin words, phrases or expressions to express a situation or a reaction. I think all Jordanian people are enjoying doing that (I’m one of)… lol

lool isn’t this what we call Arabish?

Speaking it is one thing but God, I absolutly hate hate hate reading it.

Devil’s Mind;
Your comment calls for a lengthy reply, but I have little time at my disposal so I will cut to the chase.

Indeed a large number of blogs exist in English, this happens for a number of reasons, of which you mentioned two. This post, which uses transliteration chat-style, will not be understood by my non-Arabic readers; that is very true.

But I would like to think that my non-Arabic readers would at least understand what is going on in this mumbo jumbo of letters and numbers, that is why I admitted an English introduction. That is also how I find I show my respect to them, and my care that they should have a hint of what is being said in the Box, regardless of the language employed.

Black Cats; I could agree with you.

Nas, Welcome to Tololy’s Box.
I wonder why you state that “speaking it is one thing”, and writing with it is, naturally, “another”. That is an interesting phenomenon, this is what this entry is about. Chip in with your views, if you please.

Sabri Hakim; you liked that one, didn’t you?

i think taking a quote of my commenting policy might clarify my position.
[quote]Language Policy 2:
Only English please. L33t language is tolerated but not encouraged. Only English fonts are tolerated. Spoken language must be comprehensible English language.
Few exceptions apply: You may write in French and Arabic, on the condition that you provide at least an idea of what the comment is about in English language. For those who choose to use the Arabic language, please avoid using Arabic font, use an alphabet version (eg. keef el-7al?). Any parts written in a language other than English must be clearly identified.[/quote]

tololy, i understand that you have provided an english intro… the intro shows enough information about whats following it… i agree this shows some respect to readers…

Tololy, thanks for the welcome, your blog was like that hidden gem I discovered almost by accident. Why arn’t you on Jordan Planet?

Anywho. When I speak Arabish (which I try to avoid) it flows out naturally, but when you read it, it’s like it’s written in code. I suppose this is what an illiterate must feel like.

3arabizi.. excellent post Tololy. You got me thinking, and I totally agree. I’m unfortunately one of those people who absolutely cannot say one sentence without mixing Arabic and English, but we, as Arabs, should be more careful with where it’s going.
When are we going to go downtown?!

Nas,

Your words flatter me tremedously. I am not, as yet, listed on Jordan Planet for a number of reasons that are quite simple, I do not wish to discuss them here though.

I can relate to your comment on what you call “Arabish”, that’s Arabic and English for those who are unaware of the etymology. I, too, have the same reception of the matter. That is one of the motives behind my using my daily language in a Box entry.
I think this is a phenomenon that should be examined further, for, if we feel it is “fine” to use this combo lingo, then why do we feel it is “odd” should we use it in writing? I am positive you see the paradox.

Roba, that makes two of us using that linguistic structure. I personally am saddened by the fact that I have this habit, and I am with you that this could harm our mother tongue, if such a tongue existed. This is an issue worth hours of debate.

We are going to go downtown soon, I guess. I think we ought to arrange something for real

Tololy, there is an even stranger phenomenon. Arabish is mainly spoken by west-ammanites. My father is keraki so I have, most of the time, a semi-keraki accent. For instance I like to use the “g” instead of the soft/silent “t” and “g”. so I’ll say “golna” “gal” “ganwa” “garaf” “ga3deen” et cetera.

Now when I’m in the presense of western ammanites I don’t speak this way unless they are close friends who know my origins. But outside that sphere I switch to the g-language.

Interestingly enough, the closer I get to Kerak I start switching to the “ch” language as well. So I replace “keefak” with “chayfak”.

What’s interesting is that first I’m not the only one who does this and second I never do it intentionally, its an automatic mechanism.

I should’ve minored in Arabian Lingustics of such a thing exists!

Nas,

I am also attributed to Karak but I do not use the “g” sound unless it appears in very specific terms, such as girsh,mgalle3,and so on.

My mother does not like those words and she thinks very little of the “g” sound on girls. She, however, gave us, her children, a very impressive “dj” sound instead of a delicate “j” that I personally do not find of much impact. A phonetics professor once asked me to say a word containing that sound in front of some 50 students, just to show them how an explosive “dj” is like.

I am interested in the incidents you mentioned because I have a friend who does exactly that, that linguistic switch. I do not think she does it on purpose, such as you confessed you do not.

Personally,I think people should have the freedom to express themselves in whatever language they wish…unless it becomes some sort of social profiling.
If you are comfortable with this way Tololy, then why not?

Languages do evolve, and so does Arabic!

Now, what u’ve written sounds Lebanese to me?!
Yeah, I remember how it was dealing with a good looking girl playing with u “Hadjara,waraGA,m”eG”as
Whatever it’s all good!

I believe that the linguistic ability is a reflection of one’s intellect and try to use proper language as much as possible -when I am sober at least. Now whether it is Arabic, English or Sanskrit, it is the good, as long as it is, I repeat, properly used. Colloquial is accepted in most of every day life situations but is not suitable for reading the news (unless you listen to the local news on LBC il fada2yyee il libnaniyyee). I mix Arabic and English all the time, I also tend to twist my tongue according to the person I am talking to, so while I most commonly use a Jordanian accent, I tend to quickly switch Egyptian or Syrian or Gulfian when in the presence of persons from these regions. My wife believes it is funny; others tend to think I am mocking the other person’s accent. It is subconscious and is never intended to offend.

Firas,

Very amusing points. “Languages do evolve, and so does Arabic”, but is that “Arabic”? This is the question.

My talk in this entry mimics that of reality. I do not think I sound Lebanese, I pretty much sound Adiga; an explosive “dj” and an impressive number of linguistic mistakes of which I am not proud and because of which I am often laughed at.

Jameed,

Language to you is a reflection of intellect, that is debatable. I might post about that specific statement, I find it research-worthy.
I liked the way you said you change accents, to suit those of the people you deal with. Entertaining.

Well, I often speak the same accent everywhere but soemtimes I use the “G” in some words like: gabba3at, 6age3, etc. Give me a break those don’t work with th e “A”

I also like to switch to Egyptain when my mother’s Egyptain friend comes to visit

“Ezzayyek ya ommo Ameera wa7ashteena… da kalam bardoh?”

Welcome to Tololy’s Box, Insomnia. I enjoyed your comment.

Your other remark was not, and will not, be published. Kindly refer to my Commenting Policy, present in the sidebar, to learn why.

Ok I understand.

I was just wondering, I though I knew you

Sorry for the inconvenience

Tololy to answer the question you ask in your post, i do think blogging in the colloquial dialect would affect the “seriousness” of the blog, as you put it. it’s just not suited for the written word, or maybe we’re not used to it yet. it sure is accepted in our emails and chats, but publishing it on blogs full-time is a different story, I think it lacks the expressive power and impact of both fes7a Arabic and English.
besides, colloquial is not uniform like many have already commented, one person would use different dialects in different settings and around different people. but then again maybe that’s not the case for you
nice blog btw

Welcome to my box, Oleander. I am most glad you enjoyed it, and flattered that you find it nice.

I especially liked your saying ” it’s just not suited for the written word, or maybe we’re not used to it yet”, with regards to colloquial language being used in a blog. I think that is worth a pause.

Feel free to drop by when you please and express your opinions.

Interesting post I think this is becoming a more serious issue in the Arab world. As someone who visits Jordan every summer, I notice that this trend to integrate English words into Arabic increases more and more with every passing year. I didn’t think it would be that hard to read your post, but I actually had to make an effort to concentrate. I do use this “Arabish” version in emails and chat when I just can’t express a word in English, but to use it in the consistent way that you showed, I think that’s hard and like someone mentioned, unprofessional, especially for a blog.
Even more worrisome (and unprofessional) is the prevalent use of this language on Arabic satellite television (LBC news, *horror*). I think even if it’s not a news program, there should be some respect for the Arabic and English language by separating them and using each one in its own context. But then again, if the average person on the Arab street is speaking like this (which I don’t think is the case *yet*), then should TV personalities and shows behave in the same way to accomodate this trend or should they have higher standards? (I think I got a little off the subject of the post, sorry).

Tololy, interesting post. The language issue has been one that has been running in circles in my head for a while.
Nas: It is interesting that you actually move away from the karaki accent when you are ” in the presense of western ammanites .” I find no reason for me to change my accent although its quite a heavy one. Many people for some wierd reasons will think less of you because of the accent you speak with. I have been told more than once that i should “not be a show off” and speak with a normal accent !!!
So to add to tololy’s question about the written language, do you think that the accent affects the way people see you?

Tololy, this is a great entry. I am an Egyptian and I’ve lived most of my life abroad, mostly around Europe. I’ve been in Egypt for almost three years now and have noticed the heavy use of Arabish among my friends and family through text messages and online chatting. I use this ‘language’ myself. Currently, I am actually writing a paper on this new form of communication and when I came across your blog I was very surprised. I didn’t realize that people were so interested in this phenamenon. I think that it also might have something to do with the way most newspapers and media use the ‘fes7a Arabic’ you were talking about. Obviously each country has its own accents and dialects and the common language spoken among the people is rarely used by the media. This may be a reason that makes it more acceptable to mix English with our everyday Arabic. I will do my best to do more research into this topic and will continue to read your insightful blog. Thanks.

salu

salut