I originally was exposed to the Arabic language when I studied abroad in Morocco. Seeing and hearing this language was the main factor contributing to why I started learning Arabic. It was interesting to see a different writing system on signs and menus and hear sounds I have never heard before in a language. After studying abroad, I began taking Arabic my next semester. Learning a new language can enable you to understand other cultures because you can communicate with different groups of people about their ideas, beliefs, and feelings.

I believe that language learning is an essential communication bridge and helps people to be involved globally. It was very interesting and enjoyable to learn a new writing system and learn how to speak Arabic. I hope to continue working on my Arabic language skills after graduation and would enjoy using Arabic in a future career. I think learning a language can open up many opportunities, whether that be a job or simply being able to communicate with a community during travel. Although I have learned a lot in the classroom, Arabic is a challenging language and I think a lot of knowledge could be gained from traveling to an Arabic-speaking place, becoming immersed in the language, and applying what I have learned.

Through my linguistics classes, I have also learned about of the Arabic language. For instance, one special fact about Arabic is that it uses nonconcatenative morphology. In other words, Arabic uses root-and-template patterns in order to create words. Words are built by beginning with roots (consonants) that then add vowels (and sometimes other consonants) into and/or before and after the root in order to create words. The different vowels that are inserted into the roots allow for a multitude of words to be created. The roots of words usually revolve around one meaning, then the additional letters differentiate words and meanings. For example, the three-letter root √ K-T-B in Arabic allows for the creation of words all involving writing.