Find Arabic classes in Cork

The Arabic speaking community in Ireland and Cork 

Arabic is the fifth most spoken language in the world with an estimate of over 319 million speakers and in Ireland there is a continuously growing number with over 60,000 speakers of it in Ireland, with the second biggest Arabic speaking community in Ireland being in Cork with around 4000 speakers.  

In Cork there is the Cork Islamic Cultural Centre which is a non-profit organisation created to help educate all those who wish to learn. For those who are Muslim, the centre provides a place of learning of the Quaran and Sunnah and an opportunity for those of the same faith to be able to meet others from their community. It also promotes learning from those who don’t follow the religion, helping the community to integrate into Cork.  

At the mosque in Cork there is also the Al Resala school which provides a safe place for young children to learn about Islam and to help lead them to a lifestyle where they are responsible and an asset to society. 

Interesting facts about Arabic 

If you have ever seen Arabic words in books, advertisements and such you won't be surprised to hear that the language uses a completely different alphabet from many languages in Europe or the American continent.  

Arabic letters are derived from Arabic script which is described as Arabic Abjad. A language that is described as an Abjad is an alphabet that only uses consonants. Arabic is written and read, from right to left and it has a total of 29 letters.  

The Arabic script is the second most used writing system in the world. There are 25 countries around the world that have made Arabic an official language there. A few examples are: Algeria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq. 

Despite Arabic mainly being used in certain areas of Africa and the Middle East, the language has rubbed off on some European languages. In the Early middle ages, Arabic speaking countries were a major drive for developments in mathematics and science. Due to this relevance some European nations adopted some Arabic words. An example is the word “Algebra” which is originally derived from “al-jabr".  

It would be a mistake though to assume that all Arabic is the same in all of the different countries where it is spoken. Many regions have their own styles and dialects of Arabic and it is thought that there are around 25 different dialects of Arabic spoken around the world as well as different styles such as Classic Arabic, Modern standard Arabic and Daily Arabic. 

Is Arabic hard to learn? 

If your native language is completely different in form to Arabic script (such as Latin or Germanic based languages) then the writing alone can seem very intimidating to get started in.  

Arabic is written from left to right and this can be hard for learners to wrap their head around and get used to. Letters can change form, depending on where they are on a word (the beginning, middle or end). The characters are very different to many other languages and can be daunting to get into. 

The pronunciation and sound of the language also differ greatly from many languages that people are used to.   

So yes, there are many reasons why Arabic can be difficult to get started in or master but it is far from impossible.  

A few ways to start off learning Arabic 

If you learn the language rules and keep building upon your knowledge and practicing each time, you will get there. For example, when learning the alphabet, if you methodically go through the letters and practice a certain number before moving onto the next, it will make the task much more feasible.  

Since there are many dialects of Arabic spoken around the world, you may find it difficult to choose which one you should learn. If you have a plan to move to a specific Arabic speaking country then of course learn the dialect used there. But if you don’t have a specific destination in mind, learning Modern standard Arabic is a good place to start as it is used widely and even though it is a bit formal, it has a very wide range of use around the Arabic speaking world.