Happy New Year!

Aam Saïda! (Arabic)

Bonne Année (French)

Esgwess M'gez! (Berber)

The Regional Theatre of Oran’s next production is called “The Window” or in Arabic “Nafeetha.” I will be performing in this production! In Arabic! I don’t speak Arabic so I have to write my script in my own language in order to pronounce the words correctly. Arabic is written from right to left whereas English and French are written from left to right. In Arabic there are many sounds that are difficult for Anglophones and Francophones to say!

(Listen to the letters in the Arabic alphabet:

http://www.funwitharabic.com/intro.html)

I have to be very careful with my pronunciation because sometimes I say something rude or vulgar without even knowing it! Another thing I have noticed about Arabic it is an extremely expressive language with sounds like peaks and valleys.

Here is an example of what my script looks like spelled out with English sounds:

Ma-ghra-deesh tibqawaqaf hegdah! Tranlsation: You can’t just stand there like that!

Mat-gha-luch rrohhak. Translation: Do not be mistaken!

Sometimes the director lets me mix French and Arabic—for example:

El hafeela t’deek directement leeha…Translation: The bus takes me directly there…

Ça ne sert à rien ezgaa wa lyi aat! Translation: It doesn’t do any good to cry or scream!

So in order to perform in a language that is not my own I have to write it out in my own special code! Everyday I practice my Arabic diction by saying my lines with a pencil in my mouth.

Those of you learning French (or another foreign language) do you find that there are some words and sounds in French that remind you of words and sounds in English? What is the hardest sound for you to make in French/Spanish/Chinese...? How do you think language is connected to culture? How do you react when you hear someone speaking in English with an accent? Can you tell what their first language is just by listening?

I've added below images of the inside of the Regional Theatre of Oran as well as working on my Arabic text with actor and playwright Ibrahim Hashmaoui.