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The Daily Princetonian

Learning Arabic as a first language

Since I am a Princetonian studying in Cairo, part of my mission here is to improve my Arabic. Arabic is one of Princeton?s most popular foreign languages, studied by Arab Americans, Wilson School students aspiring to be State Department officials and those who simply want to learn more about Arabic culture and history.Arabic is a surprisingly diverse language spoken in hundreds of dialects, from the one made famous by Egyptian cinema to the Lebanese dialect used in many of today?s pop songs to the Moroccan dialect that sometimes resembles French more closely than Arabic.

OPINION | 02/19/2008

The Daily Princetonian

Learning Arabic as a first language

Since I am a Princetonian studying in Cairo, part of my mission here is to improve my Arabic. Arabic is one of Princeton?s most popular foreign languages, studied by Arab Americans, Wilson School students aspiring to be State Department officials and those who simply want to learn more about Arabic culture and history.Arabic is a surprisingly diverse language spoken in hundreds of dialects, from the one made famous by Egyptian cinema to the Lebanese dialect used in many of today?s pop songs to the Moroccan dialect that sometimes resembles French more closely than Arabic.

OPINION | 02/19/2008