Welcome back to the Language Spotlight Blog, and congrats on making it through the term! As an ode to all things academic, I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to talk about Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), and the many ways it is used, or not used.
I have to admit, the title may have been a lie. It’s not the case that nobody speaks MSA, but it certainly isn’t any Arabic speaker’s native language, nor does its name reveal exactly how it is used.
Perhaps we should begin with a brief introduction to Arabic (sorry to those of you less interested in diachronic linguistics than I am).
Arabic belongs to the Semitic group of Afro-Semitic languages, alongside Hebrew, Aramaic, and Amharic.1
The earliest records of Arabic date back all the way to the seventh century BCE, and this form of Arabic, called Old Arabic, lasted until the second century CE, when it evolved into Early Arabic.2
However, it wasn’t until about 300 years later that the Classical Arabic era began.3 This period is known for its refined poetic and literary language, which flourished all across the Arabic-speaking world.4
The seventh century writing of the Quran and the subsequent Islamic Golden Age cemented Classical Arabic as a language of great influence and prestige.5
The decline of the Islamic Golden Age led to a period of Middle Arabic, which is vaguely defined as a time when Classical Arabic remained the language of literature, science, and the arts, but vernacular (spoken) Arabic began shifting and evolving into unique regional varieties.6
From the 13th century CE until now, we have been in the ‘modern period’, marked by the continued stratification of Arabic into the literary form, Modern Standard Arabic, and the spoken regional forms.7
In fact, Classical Arabic and MSA aren’t exactly the same forms of Arabic, and there is some dispute as to the terminology used here, but because differences between the two are largely in stylistic use and vocabulary, there is a strong continuity between the varieties.8
Nowadays, MSA is used in Arabic media, including television and radio broadcasts, and in all forms of the written language, including books, newspapers, and street signs.9
At the same time, conversing with Arabic speakers requires the use of a regional variety of Arabic. No native speaker uses MSA in their day-to-day conversations, and, in fact, because there is no one standard form of spoken Arabic, many speakers are able to understand at least a few different varieties.10
Egyptian Arabic, for instance, is very popular among learners for its pop-culture influence and ability to be used throughout the Arabic-speaking world.11
Maghrebi Arabic, on the other hand, has been heavily influenced by prolonged contact with French (the colonial language in many areas), distinguishing it from other forms of colloquial Arabic.12
In fact, the World Atlas of Language Structures (WALS) lists 20 varieties of Arabic outside of MSA,13 while Ethnologue lists 32 languages in the Arabic family, excluding MSA.14
So, it may feel overwhelming to choose just one of these varieties to learn. Even more so, classifying these varieties as ‘languages’ or ‘dialects’ is not so easy.
This is all the more so the case for Arabic, not in the least because of its millions of speakers, enormous geographical span, and long and complex history.15
Either way, if you want to get around in your day-to-day life in an Arabic speaking country, you’ll need to learn vernacular Arabic.
In that case, is learning MSA just a waste of time?
Well, no!
One major advantage to learning MSA is that it allows you to work, travel, and study in Arabic-speaking countries much more easily.
For instance, a company or university may want require you to certify your Arabic proficiency, spoken and written, in order to work or study abroad there.
Proficiency tests will assess your knowledge of MSA, rather than the local dialect, as popular tests like the CIMA16 and ALPT17 show.
Even something as simple as reading street signs and newspapers will require some familiarity with MSA. In other words, you need MSA to be able to get around.
Of course, a big reason to learn MSA is that you simply may not have access to anyone who can teach you a different variety of Arabic!
If the only learning resources and teachers you have available to you are geared towards MSA, well then of course you’re going to learn MSA.
For example, Carleton’s Arabic classes (which are unfortunately not offered this year), teach MSA, rather than any regional varieties. Naturally, a big part of this is the fact that all reading and writing is done in MSA.
That doesn’t stop you from trying to find native speakers of, say, Moroccan Arabic on online chat groups or in your community as a way to supplement your learning! If you have the opportunity to travel and experience local dialects of Arabic yourself, then even better!
A final reason to learn MSA is simply out of interest. In other words, why not? Once you have a sufficient level of understanding of MSA, it can serve as a great stepping stone to diving deeper into the dialects and cultures you’re most interested in pursuing in the long-term!
In fact, I think many people would argue that you definitely should learn MSA (to some extent), and focus on regional varieties to work on your conversational skills.
All of this might seem like a big hurdle for those of you hoping to learn Arabic – not only do you need to learn to read and write in MSA, you need to learn to speak vernacular Arabic too!
And, true, this may be a challenge and take a lot of time, but fear not – it’s not like you’ll be learning two radically different languages.
Indeed, Arabic is what we would consider a very typical case of diglossia.
Traditionally, diglossia has been defined as a stable stratification of related language varieties, whereby one of the varieties occupies a prestigious status, often being the language of literature, state, media, and schooling, while the other variety is used for spoken conversation and in informal settings.18
Sound familiar?
Because of this diglossia, learning Arabic won’t be easy. But then again, learning a language never is!
As long as you’re dedicated, have clear goals, and are willing to work hard to reach them, then you’ll manage just fine.
Besides, you certainly aren’t the first to learn Arabic, so don’t be afraid to ask for help!
So, for all of you interested in learning Arabic –or any other language for that matter– it’s important to take into account which variety you’re choosing to learn, the various ways it might be used, and how you should expect others to speak out in the real world.
The case of Modern Standard Arabic is a great reminder that nothing can replace the value of actually engaging with a language’s speakers outside of a classroom – authentic input leads to authentic communication and a better understanding of the cultural practices that inform language use!
At the same time, standardized language varieties do serve a purpose, so don’t overlook them either.
As a final note to aspiring Arabic learners, while we’re not hosting an Arabic conversation group this term, the LLRC is always looking for passionate volunteers who’d like to help others improve their conversational abilities. Learn more here!
Reminders
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References
1 Ryding, K. C. (2005). A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486975
2 Ryding, K. C. (2005). A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486975
3 Ryding, K. C. (2005). A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486975
4 Ryding, K. C. (2005). A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486975
5 Ryding, K. C. (2005). A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486975
6 Ryding, K. C. (2005). A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486975
7 Ryding, K. C. (2005). A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486975
8 Ryding, K. C. (2005). A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486975
9 Ryding, K. C. (2005). A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486975
10 Ryding, K. C. (2005). A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486975
11 Yasmin, K. (2024, October 11). Arabic dialects: Understanding the types of Arabic. Preply. https://preply.com/en/blog/arabic-dialects/.
12 Yasmin, K. (2024, October 11). Arabic dialects: Understanding the types of Arabic. Preply. https://preply.com/en/blog/arabic-dialects/.
13 Dryer, Matthew S. & Haspelmath, Martin (eds.) 2013. WALS Online (v2020.4) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13950591
14 Eberhard, David M., Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). 2025. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Twenty-eighth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com.proxy.library.carleton.ca
15 Morano, R., & Bettega, S. (2022). The Classification of Arabic Dialects: Traditional Approaches, New Proposals, and Methodological Problems. MDPI – Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. https://doi.org/10.3390/books978-3-0365-6140-0
16 Alliance Française Abu Dhabi. (2025). CIMA – Arabic Certificate. https://www.afabudhabi.org/cima/#/.
17 Arab Academy. (2021). Arabic Language Proficiency Test. https://www.arabacademy.com/alpt/.
18 Bell, A. (2014). The Guidebook to Sociolinguistics. Wiley Blackwell Publishing Ltd.