Although the official language of Egypt is Modern Standard Arabic, its people speak Egyptian Arabic.
Written in the Arabic alphabet, the language is spoken by over 77 million people throughout the
world, though mostly concentrated in Egypt. Unlike Modern Standard Arabic, most people speak
Egyptian Arabic at social occasions, though it is also used in some common examples like newspapers
and street signs. Egyptian Arabic originated in the areas around Alexandria and Cairo, which have
always led the country economically. Historically, the ancient Muslim expeditions to Egypt resulted in
an increase in the Arabic language, but shifted back to Egyptian when Muslim troops, speaking an
Egyptian dialect inhabited the area.
Egyptian Arabic is prevalent among movies as well as music throughout the Arab World. One feature, which
differentiates Egyptian Arabic from other colloquial dialects, is in the sense that the “jeem” isn’t
pronounced as a “j”, instead it is pronounced as a “g”. I need you ana mahtejak becomes ana mahtegak.
