If someone asks you about the language that is spoken in Egypt and you are tempted to answer ‘Arabic’ then you have no clear idea what it is!
This is because many languages are used by the people in Egypt and therefore, we have made a complete list of them to make it easier for you.
1. Egyptian Arabic
To answer the question what language is spoken in Egypt, it is Egyptian Arabic that is most popularly seen. It is a blend of Arabic, Coptic, French and Italian languages. Now if you don’t know what is Coptic dialect; it is one of the oldest used dialects in Egypt and is influenced by Christianity and the Greek Alphabet.
However, Egyptian Arabic is not recognized as the official language in Egypt and as it is a regional vernacular, that is, the way of speaking depends from region to region. The well-known dialect out of them is the Cairo dialect which is seen almost in everything starting from the local music to movies.
2. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)
Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is the official language in Egypt but it is not spoken and is considered to be a written language. It is used in formal situations, such as when writing in documents, reports, books and pronunciation in the TV or entertainment settings. MSA is the language taught in Egyptian schools as well. It dates back to the 6th century or so, and what you see today is not the original form of MSA but a language that has also been influenced by English and French languages.
3. Bedawi Arabic
Bedawi Arabic is spoken by the semi-nomad people of Eastern Egypt known as the Bedouins. It is made of several dialects like North Levantine Bedawi Arabic and South Levantine Bedawi Arabic. You can also see that it is spoken in the suburbs of Cairo, the Sinai Peninsula including nearby countries like Syria, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
4. Sa’idi Arabic
Sa’idi Arabic is also known as the Upper Egyptian Language because it is used by the people living in the southern areas of the country. This language is very similar to that of the Sudanese Arabic but people coming from different areas, such as from the rural north or south, have difficulties in comprehending each other’s words.
5. Siwi
Siwi is also known as Oasis Berber and is spoken by the people who are living in the oases of Siwa near the Libyan border. However, it is not as common as Egyptian Arabic because those who are using Siwi are slowly moving out to embrace other languages.
6. Nubian
Nubian is also known as Mahas and it is spoken by the people who are near the shores of the Nile River and the northern region of Sudan. It has a long history of more than 2000 years but the people are speaking Nubian are also fluent in Egyptian Arabic, Sa’idi Arabic and Sudanese Arabic.
Other Foreign Languages
English and French are the most commonly spoken foreign languages in Egypt. They are taught as a secondary language in the public schools and it is widely used in the touristy areas of the countries. However, you will be seeing more older people speaking French in Egypt because it was the mode they were taught before English was introduced into the syllabus. You can also see that some people are speaking either Italian, German or Russian in Egypt because there are schools that teach children in those languages.