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thedrifter
01-18-04, 07:39 AM
Arabic 101 for Marines, sailors





Iraq-bound units get language crash course
By David Hasemyer
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
12:21 a.m. January 17, 2004

CAMP PENDLETON – Pfc. Josh Ware is practicing his new language. Over and over, he says: "Hi. How are you?" in Arabic.

The strange-sounding words roll off his tongue.

Military officials hope the Arabic that Ware and 400 other Marines and sailors are learning at Camp Pendleton will ingratiate them with the Iraqi people, protect them from harm and help carry out their peacekeeping mission when they are sent to Iraq.

Members of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force are undergoing a four-week crash course in Arabic to prepare for the seven-month deployment, expected to begin soon.

"You want to make a good first impression," said Ware, 20, from Oklahoma.

The Marines believe they must possess a basic understanding of the language to win acceptance and conduct security operations in Iraq, said Maj. Kirk Greiner, the language course coordinator.

"One of the important things we have to do is to gain the trust and respect of the Iraqi people," he said. "We recognize that speaking in their own language is one of the ways we can do that."

But this isn't conversational Arabic for tourists. It's designed for the military for use in often hostile situations.

"The course has been tailored to the objectives and jobs these Marines are being trained for," said Jamie Bustamante, director of the San Diego office of the Berlitz Corp., a company that specializes in teaching foreign languages.

These Marines and sailors will tutor others in their units once they finish their training. Marine Corps officials say troops will build on the foundation once they reach Iraq and are exposed to the language daily.

Effective communication means not only being friendly with the natives but protecting themselves.

"You learn how to say: 'Hi, how are you? My name is Ryan,'" Cpl. Ryan Gibson said.

Besides such friendly greetings, there are commands like "Drop your weapon!" and "Get down!"

"A lot of what we're learning is what we'll need at checkpoints or searching hostile places," Gibson said.

Arabic is a tough language to learn because it doesn't share roots like English, Spanish or Italian.


Gibson said he knows some basic Spanish from his days in school, "but this is a foreign language. It's so different from other languages."

Consider that the alphabet appears to be made up more of symbols than letters. Also, the language is read from right to left. It's confusing, but these Marines and sailors are getting the hang of it.

"I'm amazed at how fast they are picking it up," Bustamante said.

Students start with the basics. They practice in a classroom where the walls are lined with Arabic words written in black marker on butcher paper.

They pronounce a word, then write it. Pronounce it. Write it. Pronounce it. Write it.

Outside, in a kind of Simon Says game, a group of Marines respond to commands in Arabic: "Turn right!" "Get down!" "Move forward!"

Each command gets three or four reactions. To the order "Put your hands up!" some turn to their left, while others take a step or two forward, then stop to see what the others are doing.

The Marines smile, but they know this is serious business.

"We've got a job to do, and learning the language is a tool for us," said Pfc. Robert Lyons, 18, an infantryman.

The native of Cheyenne, Wyo., is looking forward to using one of his favorite sentences: "Peace be with you."

"That's what this is all about," he said.
David Hasemyer: (619) 542-4583; david.hasemyer@uniontrib.com

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20040117-9999-7m17culture.html


Sempers,

Roger
:marine: