This will be short but I will add to it as I hear or see other interesting usages of the language. English is the second language for many living here as well as being the first language for expats from across the globe. I regularly interact with people speaking with Australian, Irish, English, Canadian, and American accents. And Emaratis, Indians, Pakistanis, and Filipinos speaking it as a second language. There are two important influences to the spoken language here, or so I believe. The British were here and many Emaratis were educated in England so British English has a strong presence here. Secondly, the largest group of expats here is Indian and they also influence the language.
I sometimes have to take a step back and try to figure out what something spoken or written in English means. The signs for Yield on American roads say Give Way on UAE roads. Makes absolute sense and I'm sure it comes from the UK's influence. Another usage that is different came up recently. I was talking to a young Emarati woman who asked me what my good name was. I had no idea what my good name or my bad name was. We talked about it, and decided that it might be from an Indian translation, that it means, first name (you know, first, best, good... ). I really didn't know what she was asking and what surprised me is that she said she was saying it because that was what she had heard was the correct way to ask. She said that they simply say, what is your name (no good or bad about it). We laughed, I told her that in the U.S. we would say it like she would.
Oh yeah, and Shisha, also known as Hubbly Bubbly, is prevalent everywhere. It's the smoking of flavored tobacco in hookah pipes. That Hubbly Bubbly, it sounds like an addition from the Indian expats. I don't know that, just think that it might be.
By the way, I just added the blog/discussion link called Al-Emarati to my links. It sounds like the voice, or perhaps the voice I filter through to interpreting life to be like here. I haven't read them all, and so don't know if what I just tried to say is true for me. Especially interesting was the posting called "Just because you hate your leaders". I recommend it. I think Americans tend to lump the whole of the Middle East together, politically, socially, economically. Once you live here, you see how things are and it is not that simple. I am reading (as I said in an earlier post) the book Rags to Riches, which gives the story of the birth of this country from one person's perspective. The first Sheikh of independent UAE, Sheik Zayed (apologies if I formed his name incorrectly), did what was right for this country. He invested the oil money in the citizens, building infrastructure, schools, medical facilities. Look at pictures of the life here in the 60s, even 70s, and contrast it to today. Last night, taking a taxi home from the store, I watched a man crossing the street and thought about what he would have been walking on if this was fifty years ago: sand, with a handful of vehicles driving on sand, and living with no air conditioning, no running water, few jobs. This place might not be perfect but I think that the heart is in the right place.
I'm adding to this post. I wrote it a couple weeks ago but today I was blessed with an email containing the phrase "Please do the needful". I love it.
Oh yeah, and the Aussies don't know the expressions kitty corner and katty whompers (spelling???). Imagine that!
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