DUBAI // A million Emirati dialect phrase books will be handed out to expatriates to help bridge the gap between the communities ahead of National Day.
The 16-page guide is free from the Eton Institute and lists simple, everyday Arabic words, with particular emphasis on phrases commonly used by Emiratis.
“This National Day will be a lot more exciting,” said Moaz Khan, Eton’s marketing director. “There is a lot of international attention on the UAE because of Dubai’s bid to host Expo 2020. There is a lot of positive feeling about the bid and National Day.
“We felt we needed to do something in support of Arabic and bring people closer to the national language.”
The pocket-sized book is published in the colours of the UAE flag. It teaches residents how to greet people, make friends, go shopping, eat out, ask simple questions and give and take directions.
It also covers the months, seasons, days, numbers, and how to tell the time and understand common signs and notices.
“Most people come to learn professional Arabic and it is the modern standard Arabic that they learn but not the Emirati dialect,” Mr Khan said. “This year we wanted to reach out to people with the Emirati dialect and bring communities closer.
“Locals say that expatriates don’t take enough effort to learn the language. Now, this is the chance.
“There are lots of campaigns in the UAE to improve Arabic because it is the national language. We as a training centre recognise that effort and are at the forefront in improving the language.”
Mr Khan said the country had more reasons than usual to celebrate this year.
“The whole focus is revolving around Expo 2020. It is the most significant milestone for Dubai and the UAE in a long time,” he said. “The expo is not for any one community but is relevant to everyone as the tagline, Connecting Minds, Creating the Future, is significant for all.”
This is not the first time the Eton Institute has used National Day to encourage people to learn Arabic.
In 2011, it gave out 200,000 phrase books in modern standard Arabic, with 250,000 handed out last year.
“Our focus is to reach out to regular people on the street in their natural setting and bring the language closer to them. But hitting the million mark isn’t easy,” Mr Khan said.
Emirati instructors and expatriates familiar with the dialect helped compile the book. The project took two weeks and cost the institute Dh175,000.
The books are available from the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, Sharjah Centre for Cultural Communication, Al Noor mosque on Buhaira Corniche in Sharjah, Carrefour outlets, Jumeirah hotels, Ferrari World and Yas Waterworld. A pizza chain, 800PIZZA, will give out copies with their deliveries.
An Emirati phrase app can be downloaded free from iTunes until the end of the year.
The app has 2,000 words and phrases and has been downloaded more than 200 times.
The Eton Institute is also planning to host an Arabic cultural evening that will expose people to Emirati culture, language, traditions and food.
pkannan@thenational.ae
