The Complex Pattern in Levantine Arabic Sentences Using the Lām Letter and Its Relationship to MSA and Aramaic

Abstract

Arabic is one of the most difficult languages in the world. Its difficulty is not only because of grammar, but also because it consists of many dialects spoken in public, at homes, at cafes, in offices and many other places. The dialects are not derived only from Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), but they are also a development of some other ancient languages spoken in the specific area of study, the Levant region. This study serves as an initial investigation in the use of the letter “Lām” in the Levantine dialect where it is not used in Modern Standard Arabic which makes the process of learning the Levantine Dialect (LD) more difficult for non-native speakers. This is an analytical study, which used Arabic research and studies as well as Aramaic teachers and speakers who live in Syria to help translate the examples and get to a conclusion that tells us why the “Lām” letter is used in places where it should not be used. Findings indicate that the use of the letter “Lām” in Levantine sentences is derived from Aramaic, which is an ancient language spoken in the Levant area as well as Yemen, Turkey, etc. This study shows that there is a logical reason why the letter “Lām” is used in daily life in verbal and nominal sentences spoken by people in the Levant region. I used the Arabic Romanization Table for the Transliteration. You can find it here: Arabic romanization table (loc.gov).