Accents

Dubai is also a highly multicultural place. Noone knows the exact population of the city, it is believed to be near 1.5 million. I am not totally convinced, just make a trip to the airport, I always have the feeling that much more people are coming than leaving. It is also believed, and sounds about all right, that only 8% of the population are UAE nationals, there is an other 12% other Arabic people, 30% westerners including Europeans, Australians and Americans and the rest 50% are the Asians, such as Indians, Philippinos, Pakistanians, Chinese, etc.

I really looked forward to learn Arabic here, and I still believe speaking the language gives a better understanding on a certain culture. But learning Arabic in Dubai is like learning it in any non-Arabic city. One would have basically no opportunity to practice it outside the noble building of the Language School.

Coming to the point, the common language is English. All possible accents of it. And even more! Indians born in Canada, Chinese lived in Germany, French educated in South Africa - infinite versions. You surely have to master understanding all 'languages'. Sometimes even speaking it... Three must be "tree" unless you want to stay in the shop until the Indian assistant gives you a piece of paper to write on, the sofa is "sopa" if you want the Philippina cleaning lady to vacuum underneath, and the movie did not suck, it was just "weird" or worst case you are "not sure about it" if you want your British friends go out with you again.

That is why in Dubai, and only in Dubai is it possible to have a "Guess the accent" morning radio show. They play the same sentence, praising the sponsor, pronounced by Dubai based speakers from all over the world, and the audience have to guess their city of origin. Cool. Almost motivates me to get up earlier.