Ask Kamal900 anything

[Kamal900]

Where and how did you learn to speak English so well?

Its a funny story actually. When i was just 2 years old i used to watch arabic dubbed anime, and at that time, all foreign cartoons, soap operas and etc were dubbed in standard arabic language. I used to have trouble learning the language because it was so difficult to learn. When i was five years old it was that time where the english language began to take more dominance in my life than standard arabic. Back then, my old Filipina maid and nanny brought large collection of Monty Python sketches, Astrex and Obelix and Adventures of Tin Tin comics and movies, and other American and British cartoons and movies, and i quickly "fell in love" with the language. The movie that i was the most fond of was Monty Python and the holy grail. Then in 1998, cartoon network was available, and i began watching American cartoons more so than the Arabic one which made my arabic rusty. I grew up learning the English language from American and British teachers, and because i have unfavorable feelings towards my Arab teachers i was always very close to my foreign teachers. My big brother knows how to speak and write both Arabic and English very well while i speak and write English far better than reading and writing Arabic. Many people here think that i was originally from America or something because i speak American English so fluently, lol.

[Tooting Carmen]

Its a funny story actually. When i was just 2 years old i used to watch arabic dubbed anime, and at that time, all foreign cartoons, soap operas and etc were dubbed in standard arabic language. I used to have trouble learning the language because it was so difficult to learn. When i was five years old it was that time where the english language began to take more dominance in my life than standard arabic. Back then, my old Filipina maid and nanny brought large collection of Monty Python sketches, Astrex and Obelix and Adventures of Tin Tin comics and movies, and other American and British cartoons and movies, and i quickly "fell in love" with the language. The movie that i was the most fond of was Monty Python and the holy grail. Then in 1998, cartoon network was available, and i began watching American cartoons more so than the Arabic one which made my arabic rusty. I grew up learning the English language from American and British teachers, and because i have unfavorable feelings towards my Arab teachers i was always very close to my foreign teachers. My big brother knows how to speak and write both Arabic and English very well while i speak and write English far better than reading and writing Arabic. Many people here think that i was originally from America or something because i speak American English so fluently, lol.

So what is your native language then?

[Kamal900]

So what is your native language then?

Its Arabic, but i speak Palestinian dialect to my family and other Arabs, but when it comes to reading and writing Arabic I'm not so good at it.

[Tooting Carmen]

Its Arabic, but i speak Palestinian dialect to my family and other Arabs, but when it comes to reading and writing Arabic I'm not so good at it.

So I take it you attended an 'International' School where English was emphasised more than Arabic then?

[Kamal900]

So I take it you attended an 'International' School where English was emphasised more than Arabic then?

Yes, and my brothers also graduated from international schools as well. Arabic is taught as a separate 1 hour subject while English is taught in every subjects in school like Math, Science and etc.

[Tooting Carmen]

Yes, and my brothers also graduated from international schools as well. Arabic is taught as a separate 1 hour subject while English is taught in every subjects in school like Math, Science and etc.

Isn't it a bit strange how you don't speak and write what is both your native language and the official language of your country 100% fluently?

[Yuffayur]

1/ Study or Work ? if study what ?

2/ What do you think about Yuffayur ?

3/ Where in Palestine you're from ?

4/ How many countries do you have visited ?

[Leto]

Isn't it a bit strange how you don't speak and write what is both your native language and the official language of your country 100% fluently?

It's bad. Arabs are usually pretty nationalist and anti-Western, but at the same time they are ready to trade their supposedly holy language for English and in case of North Africa French. Standard Arabic (just like many other languages around the globe) is currently being ousted from science and education by English, as far as I know. That's pretty sad, I hate English for that. Arabs and other nations should care more about their languages and don't let the killer named English devour them. I like English myself, but I don't want other tongues to be replaced or weakened by it. My language is absorbing shitloads of English words, almost everything related to IT, business and economics is derived from English.

[Kamal900]

Isn't it a bit strange how you don't speak and write what is both your native language and the official language of your country 100% fluently?

It isn't really strange at all, because the UAE is one of the most diverse countries in the world, and most of the inhabitants here are expats and non-Arabs. The country has companies and etc from non-Arab regions like the UK, France, Spain, Mexico and etc, and speaking and writing English is key to success to your future career. Standard Arabic is used in government official and administration, politics and news outlets and etc only. Most of my friends are non-Arabs where half of them are blacks and the other are Indians, Pakistanis, Asians, and Europeans with some Arabs who are mostly Arabians and NAs.

[Kamal900]

It's bad. Arabs are usually pretty nationalist and anti-Western, but at the same time they are ready to trade their supposedly holy language for English and in case of North Africa French. Standard Arabic (just like many other languages around the globe) is currently being ousted from science and education by English, as far as I know. That's pretty sad, I hate English for that. Arabs and other nations should care more about their languages and don't let the killer named English devour them. I like English myself, but I don't want other tongues to be replaced or weakened by it. My language is absorbing shitloads of English words, almost everything related to IT, business and economics is derived from English.

Thats true, but at the same time, i think that there should be a balance between learning and speaking your native and foreign languages.