On Vox: Mish Mumkin.

Found this curious teach-yourself-Arabic website (thanks to shaulreznik), and listened to a few podcasts for beginners. Not bad at all. The only thing that bothered me was the language being taught. I know there are dozens of regional dialects all through the Middle East and the Magrib, and practically nobody speaks Classical Arabic in everyday life. I wrote the (UK-based) website owners regarding my concerns, and got the following reply:

Hi Danny
 
I presume you're talking about the "Close the door" beginner podcast. The Arabic used in this lesson is mostly classical, so it does not belong to any country in particular and can be used throughout the Arab world.
 
Best Regards,
 
Mohamed Moshaya
ArabicPod.net

Hmmm. Can someone else with a good ear for Arabic take a sample? Is it really MSA?

Originally posted on wildernesscat.vox.com