Arabic is a fascinating rich language with beautiful calligraphy and distinct sounds that are less common in other languages. It is the official language of 22 countries and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. It is estimated that there are over 300 million Arabic speakers across the world. Despite these facts, a widespread myth about Arabic is that Arabs use Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as lingua franca for speaking with Arabs from other countries.

This is a misconception resulting from a failure to fully appreciate and understand the diversity of Arabic.  In reality, when speakers from different Arabic countries communicate together, they rarely speak Modern Standard Arabic in conversations. Instead, They tend to make some language modifications to achieve efficient communications.

For instance, Arabic speakers tend to reduce the use of local words and expressions that are not commonly used in other regions. They also tend to avoid or reduce the use of borrowed vocabulary from foreign languages, which can vary from one region to another. For example, Tunisians tend to eliminate code-switching between French and Arabic when talking to people from the Middle East who might not speak French.

Due to their cultural and media influence, Egyptian Arabic and Levantine Arabic are more widely understood by Arabic speakers from different countries. Therefore, speakers of these dialects do not need to modify their language as extensively when communicating with Arabs from other regions.

Furthermore, when speakers from different Arab countries communicate with each other, they typically prefer to speak in Arabic because it reflects a sense of community and shared Arabic identity, even if they are fluent in foreign languages. As a result, it’s not surprising that they may feel perplex when they encounter the idea of MSA being a lingua franca for speakers of the same language.

In summary, the myth of MSA as a lingua franca for Arabic speakers is just that – a myth. Arabs rarely speak MSA in conversations with speakers from different regions. They sometimes modify their language to facilitate communication.

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