Art. IX.—The O'mánee Dialect of Arabic

Extract

The dialectical variations of a language principally consist of deviations from the standard rules of Grammar and accent, and in the adoption of certain words in preference to others. In this latter respect Arabic is particularly remarkable, as owing to the copiousness of its vocabulary, its dialects are so strongly marked as to render the speech of an uneducated inhabitant of one province sometimes almost unintelligible to an equally uneducated inhabitant of another province. In the case of educated Arabs, however, although the colloquial language may be affected by the dialectical influence, still, in writing, the established rules of grammar are generally observed, and words with universally accepted meaning are only nsed. It follows, therefore, that the state of education of a province must influence to a considerable extent the degree of departure from standard rules in the dialect of that province.