Arabic is spoken in countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudia Arabic and everywhere in between. Each region has its own recognizable dialect. There are over 300 million people who speak Arabic as a first language worldwide.
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Lebanon
Palestine
Algeria
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Iraq
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The Gulf
There are some things that are good to know when attacking Arabic music for the first time. Here I will try to list some useful hints. Everytime you see a link, it goes to a song that can serve as an example.
Tips
- Arabic dialects usually deviate from Standard Arabic pronunciation and grammar so a student of Arabic may have trouble making any sense out of songs at first. However, the grammar of the dialects is actually much simplified and aside from a few common words most of the vocabulary is the same. Looking at a transcript of the lyrics in Arabic script will reveal to you just how close these dialects are to the standard and each other!
- Some music by older artists such as Abdel Halim Hafez and Fairuz as well as contemporary artists such as Kazem el-Saher and Marcel Khalifa use Arabic poetry for their lyrics which causes them to tend to be more standard.
- Verses are usually repeated once or more than once in Arabic music, whereas this is quite uncommon in modern American music. I usually do not retype a listing of lyrics that are repeated to save space and time but beware that this is completely the norm in most songs.
- Arabic music does not always conform to the Western musical scale, however, it is far from being atonal! The classical "Arabic" scale as it is known in the West contains semi-tones which we consider quarter step's in between Western notes which are all half-steps from each other. In other words, Arabic music just utilizes more notes than Western music; the instruments are not out of tune.
- The instruments most commonly used in Arabic music have traditionally been hand drums and fretless stringed instruments such as the lute and the violin. Piano is a more recent innovation and now most pop songs are produced electronically on a synthesizer like most pop from around the world.
- Although much of the music on this site is intended for predominantly Arab audiences, artists like Natacha Atlas and Alabina have an international market, not to mention Rai artists from Algeria like Cheb Khaled and others like Souad Massi who are hugely popular in France.
- Aside from pop, the Western genre of hip-hop has become popular in most Arab countries with artists like DAM achieving international popularity. Rock still remains scarce in the Arab world.
- Many male singers sing love songs that are grammatically about other males. This is not meant to be homoerotic, rather, the male gender is being used as a neutral gender. There is a precedent for this going back over one thousand years in the poetic tradition. If you watch the videos this is often clear. So when Amr Diab says "habibi ya nur al-3ayn," he's not talking about his boyfriend.
- The word "ya" is used to address someone like "o" in English, which actually quite uncommon in contemporary music. In songs the "ya" will usually be followed by a term of endearment of some sort, for example "ya habibi."
- Sometimes sentence order is highly irregular or words are missing. The lyrics of Arabic music are highly contextual just like the lyrics of American songs or music from anywhere else. Keep in mind that the literal translation doesn't always make sense.
- Although religious music exists in Arabic, most popular music does not have much religious content except for occassional specific songs. Nationalist music, however, is more common within pop music.
Useful Vocabulary
Love
Habibi - My darling, Beloved, kind of how 'Baby' is used in some American songs
Ruhi - My soul
Hayati - My life (notice the -i suffix to indicate "my")
Qalbi, 'Albi - My heart
3omri - My life, my years
Hubbak - Your love
3oyunak - Your eyes (notice -ak/ik suffix to indicate "your"
Ghali - My precious
Hubb - Love
Hawa - Love
Shoq - Desire, Love
Gharam - Passion, Love
Mushtaq - Longing, Yearning
Majnun/Magnun - Crazy
Hibb - to love
Dala3 - to flirt, spoil
Bahibbak - I love you
Wahashtini - I miss you
Halwa - Beautiful
Qurbak/'urbak - Your closeness
Bo3dak - Your remoteness, farness (can have the same effect as closeness, see Hobak Nar)
There's plenty more too
Important body parts
Qalb/'alb - Heart
3ayn, pl. 3oyun, 3ynay - Eye
Yed, pl. iyday - Hand
3aql/3a'l - Mind
RuH - Soul
Common question words
Eh - What
Shu - What
Feen - Where
Ween - Where
Leh - Why
Miin - Who
Imta - When
Keef - How
Izzay - How
Ah, Aiwa - Yes
La - No
Other common phrases/Vocab
Qulli/'ulli - Tell me
IHkini - Tell me
Khalini - Let me, May I
3ayz - I want
Biddi - I want
Kidda - Like this
Qarabi/'arabi liy - Get close to me
Ib3ad 3ani - Get far from me
BasHar - I'm sleepless
Leyla, pl. Layali - Night
ad-Dunya - The world
Hilm - Dream
Bahlam Bik - I'm dreaming of you
Khalas - It's over, done
Ghena - to sing
Nar - Fire (Everything is fire when you're an Arab in love)
Farah - to get happy
Gharib - Strange, stranger
Again, this is a very basic and simplified outline of some of the main things one encounters when listening to Arabic music. I'll try to add to it as things come up
Showing posts with label Arabic Music Course. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arabic Music Course. Show all posts
Friday, March 2, 2007
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Lesson 1: ABCs of Arabic
There's no way I can put Arabic orthography lessons on the site. The only way to learn the alphabet is to practice and memorize. But I'll give a run down of the letters using words commonly found in Arabic music.
ا - Alif, as in "Ah" آه which means "ow," like an expression of pain or frustration
ب - Ba, as in "Bahebbak" بحبك which means "I love you"
ت - Ta, as in "Tani" تاني which means "another" or "again"
ث - Tha, as in "Thawani" ثواني which means "seconds" from the same word as "tani." In most dialects the Tha becomes a Ta or a Sa, but in the Gulf, Iraq, Tunisia and Standard Arabic it is still Tha like the th at the end of "math."
ج - Jiim/Giim, as in "Jameel" جميل which means "beautiful." In Egypt, it is usually pronounced as a Ga and in the Gulf sometimes as Ya
ح - Ha (7a), as in "Habibi" حبيبي which means "my darling." This sound does not exist in English, but it is like a regular Ha in English only "harsher." A friend has described it to me as a "phone sex 'h'"
خ - Kha (5a or xa), as in "Khudni" خدني which means "take me." This sound is like the ch in Bach or to an English speaker probably sounds like they are about to spit
د - Daal, as in "Dunya" دنيا which can mean "the world," "the prevailing environment" or "everyone."
ذ - Dhaal, as in "Dhayeb" ذائب which means "melting" often in love. Like the Tha, the Dhaal becomes a Da or a Za in many dialects but in the Gulf, Iraq and Tunisia it is preserves like the th in "the."
ر - Ra, as in "Rooh" روح which means "soul." It is trilled like the Spanish r.
ز - Zay, as in "Zaman" زمن which means "time" as in the 4th dimension
س - Sin, as in "Sawa" سوا which means "together"
ش - Shin, as in "ٍShuf" شوف which means "see," "look," or "look at"
ص - Saad, as in "Sabr" صبر which means "patience." The Saad is like an English s but with more rounding of the lips to produce a deeper hiss.
ض - Daad, as in "Da3" ضاع which means "lost" or "wasted." Daad is like the English d in the same relationship as Saad is to s. It is usually indistinguishible from DHaad.
ط - Ta (6a), as in "Tayr" طير which means "bird." Ta is in the same relationship with the English T as Daad is with d
ظ - DHa/Za, as in "THalim" ظالم which means "unjust" or "oppressive." THa is in the same relationship with dha as Daad is with d. It always becomes a Daad or Zaad in Lebanese and Egyptian dialects.
ع - Ayn (3ayn), as in "3ayni" عيني which means "my eye" (a very common term of endearment in Arabic). 3ayn has no equivalent in English and I don't know how to describe it. Just read and listen for it.
غ - Ghayn, as in "Ghali" غالي which means "precious." It's like a ga sound only it's like you're gargling water.
ف - Fa, as in "Farah" فرح which means "joy" or "happiness"
ق - Qaff (9aff, 2aff), as in "Qalbi" قلبي which means "my heart." Originally this sound is like an English k only deeper in the throat, as if you were choking. In Egypt and parts of the Levant it is usually pronounced as a glottal stop like the sound in between Uh and Oh in Uh-Oh. So "Qalbi" becomes "Albi." Also in the rest of the Arab world it may be a Ga sound like the English g or more emphatic.
ك - Kaff (Chaff), as in "Keef" كيف which means "how" east of Egypt. In some parts of the Gulf and Iraq it becomes a Chaff like the ch in "cheese" to varying degrees
ل - Laam, as in "Leel" ليل which means "night"
م - Miim, as in "Majnun" مجنون which means "mad" or "crazy"
ن - Nuun, as in "Nar" نار which means "fire"
ه - Ha, as in "Hawa" هوى which is one of the many words for love "hawa"
و - Waaw, as in "Waheshtini" وحشتيني which is how you tell a girl "I miss you"
ي - Ya, as in "Ya habibi" يا حبيبي which means "oh my darling." To address someone like "oh" or "hey" in English, you say "ya" before the name or title you are calling them.
ا - Alif, as in "Ah" آه which means "ow," like an expression of pain or frustration
ب - Ba, as in "Bahebbak" بحبك which means "I love you"
ت - Ta, as in "Tani" تاني which means "another" or "again"
ث - Tha, as in "Thawani" ثواني which means "seconds" from the same word as "tani." In most dialects the Tha becomes a Ta or a Sa, but in the Gulf, Iraq, Tunisia and Standard Arabic it is still Tha like the th at the end of "math."
ج - Jiim/Giim, as in "Jameel" جميل which means "beautiful." In Egypt, it is usually pronounced as a Ga and in the Gulf sometimes as Ya
ح - Ha (7a), as in "Habibi" حبيبي which means "my darling." This sound does not exist in English, but it is like a regular Ha in English only "harsher." A friend has described it to me as a "phone sex 'h'"
خ - Kha (5a or xa), as in "Khudni" خدني which means "take me." This sound is like the ch in Bach or to an English speaker probably sounds like they are about to spit
د - Daal, as in "Dunya" دنيا which can mean "the world," "the prevailing environment" or "everyone."
ذ - Dhaal, as in "Dhayeb" ذائب which means "melting" often in love. Like the Tha, the Dhaal becomes a Da or a Za in many dialects but in the Gulf, Iraq and Tunisia it is preserves like the th in "the."
ر - Ra, as in "Rooh" روح which means "soul." It is trilled like the Spanish r.
ز - Zay, as in "Zaman" زمن which means "time" as in the 4th dimension
س - Sin, as in "Sawa" سوا which means "together"
ش - Shin, as in "ٍShuf" شوف which means "see," "look," or "look at"
ص - Saad, as in "Sabr" صبر which means "patience." The Saad is like an English s but with more rounding of the lips to produce a deeper hiss.
ض - Daad, as in "Da3" ضاع which means "lost" or "wasted." Daad is like the English d in the same relationship as Saad is to s. It is usually indistinguishible from DHaad.
ط - Ta (6a), as in "Tayr" طير which means "bird." Ta is in the same relationship with the English T as Daad is with d
ظ - DHa/Za, as in "THalim" ظالم which means "unjust" or "oppressive." THa is in the same relationship with dha as Daad is with d. It always becomes a Daad or Zaad in Lebanese and Egyptian dialects.
ع - Ayn (3ayn), as in "3ayni" عيني which means "my eye" (a very common term of endearment in Arabic). 3ayn has no equivalent in English and I don't know how to describe it. Just read and listen for it.
غ - Ghayn, as in "Ghali" غالي which means "precious." It's like a ga sound only it's like you're gargling water.
ف - Fa, as in "Farah" فرح which means "joy" or "happiness"
ق - Qaff (9aff, 2aff), as in "Qalbi" قلبي which means "my heart." Originally this sound is like an English k only deeper in the throat, as if you were choking. In Egypt and parts of the Levant it is usually pronounced as a glottal stop like the sound in between Uh and Oh in Uh-Oh. So "Qalbi" becomes "Albi." Also in the rest of the Arab world it may be a Ga sound like the English g or more emphatic.
ك - Kaff (Chaff), as in "Keef" كيف which means "how" east of Egypt. In some parts of the Gulf and Iraq it becomes a Chaff like the ch in "cheese" to varying degrees
ل - Laam, as in "Leel" ليل which means "night"
م - Miim, as in "Majnun" مجنون which means "mad" or "crazy"
ن - Nuun, as in "Nar" نار which means "fire"
ه - Ha, as in "Hawa" هوى which is one of the many words for love "hawa"
و - Waaw, as in "Waheshtini" وحشتيني which is how you tell a girl "I miss you"
ي - Ya, as in "Ya habibi" يا حبيبي which means "oh my darling." To address someone like "oh" or "hey" in English, you say "ya" before the name or title you are calling them.
Lesson 2: The Arabic Sentence
One of the hardest parts of figuring out the meanings of songs is breaking apart sentences and understanding what they mean as a whole. Even for an advanced or fluent user of the language this can be a daunting task. One can easily know every word in a sentence and totally get the meaning wrong (as I'm sure I've done 1000 times on this site) or just be left clueless.
Fortunately for anyone who knows English or most other European languages, Arabic sentence order is very similar to English. Although classical Arabic tends to put the verb at the beginning of the sentence, the Arabic of the dialects usually puts subject first, then verb, then the objects, prepositional phrases etc etc.
The Equational Sentence
I'll use the song "Albi Moshtaq" by Wael Kfoury to highlight the equational sentence.
My heart is yearning and your absence is embers and fire
Ok so to break down this sentence first look at "ana (I or me)." You might think the subject of the sentence is "I." While it is true that he is talking about himself, in this case he is only drawing attention to himself in saying that his heart is yearning. This happens from time to time in Arabic so just be aware of it. The subject of the sentence is "albi (my heart)" which in this sentence is "moshtaa' (yearning, longing)." So as you can see the equational sentence goes like this
Albi=moshtaa'
My heart=yearning
There is a verb for "to be" in Arabic like in English, but it's not used in the same way and for now just now that the simple present tense needs no verb as such.
The Verbal Sentence
As previously mentioned, the verb usually comes after the subject and before the object in the Arabic sentence, just like in English. I'll use the song "Dablet Bakiir" by Julia Boutros
This flower has wilted early. She’s still pretty, very pretty.
So in this sentence the subject "ha-al-warda (this flower)" precedes the past tense verb "dablet (she/it wilted)," which is followed by the object, time, place or manner in which the flower wilted, in this case "bakiir (early)." This is how a verbal sentence is normally composed, however, sentences often lack a subject because it is implied by the verb. If we dropped of the subject in this sentence and said:
It/She has wilted early
This sentence is grammatically correct as well, but of course without the context of the rest of the song we wouldn't know what has wilted early.
Fortunately for anyone who knows English or most other European languages, Arabic sentence order is very similar to English. Although classical Arabic tends to put the verb at the beginning of the sentence, the Arabic of the dialects usually puts subject first, then verb, then the objects, prepositional phrases etc etc.
The Equational Sentence
I'll use the song "Albi Moshtaq" by Wael Kfoury to highlight the equational sentence.
انا قلبي مشتاق وبعدك جمر ونار
Ana albi moshtaa' we-bo3dak jamr wu-naarMy heart is yearning and your absence is embers and fire
Ok so to break down this sentence first look at "ana (I or me)." You might think the subject of the sentence is "I." While it is true that he is talking about himself, in this case he is only drawing attention to himself in saying that his heart is yearning. This happens from time to time in Arabic so just be aware of it. The subject of the sentence is "albi (my heart)" which in this sentence is "moshtaa' (yearning, longing)." So as you can see the equational sentence goes like this
Albi=moshtaa'
My heart=yearning
There is a verb for "to be" in Arabic like in English, but it's not used in the same way and for now just now that the simple present tense needs no verb as such.
The Verbal Sentence
As previously mentioned, the verb usually comes after the subject and before the object in the Arabic sentence, just like in English. I'll use the song "Dablet Bakiir" by Julia Boutros
هالورده دبلت بكير. حلوة بعدا حلوة كتير
Ha-al-warda dablet bakiir. 7elwa ba3da 7elwa kitiir.This flower has wilted early. She’s still pretty, very pretty.
So in this sentence the subject "ha-al-warda (this flower)" precedes the past tense verb "dablet (she/it wilted)," which is followed by the object, time, place or manner in which the flower wilted, in this case "bakiir (early)." This is how a verbal sentence is normally composed, however, sentences often lack a subject because it is implied by the verb. If we dropped of the subject in this sentence and said:
دبلت بكير
Dablet bakiir.It/She has wilted early
This sentence is grammatically correct as well, but of course without the context of the rest of the song we wouldn't know what has wilted early.
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