My language skills are a little limited however I read more than I usually speak with some languages. There will be need soon to speak some basic Arabic (specifically for Morocco). Getting the accent rights going to be the hardest
Although I have googled I have not come up with any sites - preferably free - that use the spoken word rather than the written as a learning tool.
I would be grateful if anyone has any suggestions.
Thanks
Kay
Try www.byki.com. I'm not sure if they have Arabic, but I bought and downloaded Icelandic from them. I could download a free mini version, but the full version was $50. It is very comprehensive. And I really seem to be learning.
"Moroccan Arabic ... differs from Standard Arabic in phonology, lexicon, and syntax ... and is nearly unintelligible to other Arabic speakers..."
"...most uneducated Moroccans do not understand Modern Standard Arabic..."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroccan_Arabic
In most cases, it is more useful to have some French in Morocco (and also Tunisia) than Modern Standard Arabic. MSA is in use in business and public administration, but we find French-speaking people can do business there. Educated people usually speak French fluently, and expect to converse with Europeans in that language.
But Moroccans are remarkable linguists, and if you are there as a tourist, and don't have much or any French, you won't have to go far to find someone who speaks fair English or Spanish.
But if it is just for tourism, then I think learning MSA could be a waste of time. If you do come across someone who speaks little French, you'll usually find they don't speak/understand MSA either.
Although it may be true that you don't need MSA as a tourist, I started learning Arabic years ago and find it really rewarding - difficult but interesting especially now that I'm into the grammar a bit.
Your best bet would be to find a native speaker and get them to teach you a few words that they think would be useful. From experience finding one might be easier said than done...
The US military has a free website with phrases/MP3 files in lots of dialects, including Maghreb (Moroccan) Arabic. Go to http://fieldsupport.lingnet.org/index.aspx and "select a country." Obviously you won't need the "raid and combat" phrases, but the "basic language guide" and the "medical language guide" are really good.
You can read/listen to the phrases on line, or download them onto computer or iPod.
I studied Modern Standard Arabic and spent time in Saudi and Iraq, and Moroccan is really different, even having a different word for 'goodbye.'
Brilliant 5. Just what Im looking for as I had already realised that MSA was only going to be of limited use. Many thanks.
The people I am visiting speak English, however they share with the members of the older generation who only speak Moroccan Arabic. I feel it courteous to at least be able to manage the basics when staying in their home. I already speak a reasonable amount of Turkish and there are some words that are the same but the pronounciation is different.