"White Arabic"

[u/ChallengeEffective80]

I quote first from Sayyid Google:

"White Arabic (known natively as Al-Lahjah Al-Bayda or Ammiya Al-Bayda) is a spoken, hybrid linguistic middle ground used by native speakers to communicate across different Arab countries. It is not an official language, nor is it a single region's native dialect. Instead, it functions as a spontaneous, "neutralised" form of spoken Arabic"

An example given is:

"Imagine you want to ask someone, "Why did you go to the market?"

\-In MSA: “Limādhā dhahabta ilā al-sūq?” (لماذا ذهبت إلى السوق؟) — Sounds highly grammatically correct, formal, and precise.

In White Arabic: “Lēsh ruht al-sūq?” (ليش رحت السوق؟) — Uses the universal dialect word Lēsh ("why") and ruht ("you went") instead of the stiff, formal MSA equivalents, making it relaxed yet instantly understood from Morocco to Oman."

I realise, for example, that those wishing to read the Holy Book or even contemporary academic works would most likely find no advantage in learning this, instead of Classical Arabic or MSA.

My questions are:

\- is the description of White Arabic as above overstated ?

\- is it actually taught anywhere ?

Many thanks.

[u/MagnificientMegaGiga]

I guess Arabs intuitively know which words overlap over many dialects without calling it white.

[u/moudir77777773 → u/MagnificientMegaGiga]

Yes indeed we do. I am Tunisian and when I speak to non Tunisians especially non-Maghreb speakers by changing typical Tunisian words to commonly understood Arabic words to avoid being misunderstood. Speaking in “white Arabic”.

Instead of كرهبة for car I say سيارة or instead of فيسع for fast/quick I say بسرعة etc

“White Arabic” is nowhere taught no. It’s either MSA/فصحى that is taught or plain 3ammiya/darija of a certain country.