Arabic language analysis (LADO) across the dialects
Arabic LADO is among the most frequently requested forms of language analysis, because Arabic speakers seeking protection come from North Africa, the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, the Levant, Iraq, the Gulf and Yemen. SILA Linguists® approaches every Arabic case through the spoken dialect rather than Modern Standard Arabic: the shared formal language reflects schooling, while the everyday variety reveals where a person learned to talk.
Arabic language analysis and the dialect behind the standard
Arabic is an official language across the Middle East and North Africa and the liturgical language of Islam. Linguists describe the Arabic-speaking world as diglossic: Modern Standard Arabic, or Fusha, is used in government, law, education and news, while people speak a regional variety at home. These spoken varieties differ in vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar, and the most distant, such as Moroccan and Iraqi Arabic, are hard to follow without exposure.
For language analysis for the determination of origin, that split is decisive. Educated speakers move towards a more formal register easily, especially in an official interview, but their spontaneous dialect is where the regional evidence lies. Our analysts therefore listen for the everyday variety beneath any standard Arabic, and the brief we agree with you sets out which countries and regions are realistic alternatives in the case.
The Arabic dialect groups SILA Linguists® analyses
Each group is a family of local speech rather than a single standard, and each has internal divisions that can matter in an asylum claim or appeal:
- Maghrebi Arabic: Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian and Libyan varieties, sharing traits such as the n- prefix on first-person singular verbs, heavy vowel reduction and Berber, French, Spanish, Italian and Turkish loanwords.
- Hassaniya Arabic: Mauritania, Western Sahara, southern Morocco, the Tindouf area of Algeria and northern Mali, with older Bedouin features and Zenaga and Wolof borrowings.
- Egyptian Arabic: the Cairene speech of Cairo and the Delta, Saʿidi Arabic of Upper Egypt, and Bedouin speech in Sinai and the Western Desert.
- Sudanese and Chadian Arabic: the speech of Khartoum and Omdurman, Baggara-type Arabic in Darfur and Kordofan, and the Chadian or Shuwa Arabic of the Sahel.
- Levantine Arabic: Syrian and Lebanese speech in the north, Jordanian and Palestinian in the south, each with urban, rural and Bedouin forms.
- Iraqi Arabic: gelet dialects of Baghdad and the south, and qeltu dialects of Mosul and the north.
- Peninsular Arabic: Gulf, Najdi and Hejazi varieties of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the Emirates and Saudi Arabia, and the Sanaani, Taizzi-Adeni, Hadrami and Tihami speech of Yemen.
How an Arabic LADO case moves forward
Outline the claim
Tell us the claimed country, region and town, the person's first language if it is not Arabic, and the countries they passed through. That defines which dialects need to be compared.
Dialect-matched analyst
We assign a native-speaker analyst from the relevant dialect area, for example a Maghrebi specialist for a claimed Algerian origin rather than someone whose expertise is Levantine.
Analysis of the recording
The analyst examines consonants, vowels, intonation, grammar, vocabulary and switching into French, English, Tamazight or other languages, against each realistic alternative.
Expert report
You receive a written report explaining the data, the methods, the alternatives tested and the level of certainty, suitable for an initial decision, a review or an appeal.
After the report
We answer questions, review reports prepared by other providers and supply expert witnesses who can explain Arabic dialect evidence clearly to judges.
Pronunciation, vocabulary and contact in Arabic LADO
Many distinctions are audible in the consonants. In Cairo the letter ج is pronounced as a hard g and ق often as a glottal stop; in urban Hejazi speech ق is usually g; in parts of Najd, k may be pronounced ts before front vowels. Iraqi dialects are even grouped by how they say 'I said', gelet or qeltu. Analysts combine such features with vowel quality, intonation and stress, grammar such as the Egyptian negation pattern ma...sh, and the vocabulary of daily life.
Contact languages sharpen the picture. Maghrebi speakers mix in French and Tamazight words, Lebanese speakers French and English, Gulf speech carries Farsi, Hindi-Urdu and English loanwords, and Iraqi Arabic has borrowed from Farsi, Turkish, Aramaic and Kurdish. For some speakers Arabic is a second language: many Chadians speak Kanembu, Sara or Zaghawa first, and many Sudanese speak Beja, Nubian, Fur or Masalit. The analyst considers the whole repertoire, including features picked up in transit countries.
From recording to Arabic expert report
Each case starts from a recording, often an interview, transcribed with attention to dialect features. A native-speaker analyst from the relevant dialect area, with linguistic training, examines it using forensic phonetics, dialectology and sociolinguistics, adding acoustic measurement software where useful. The claimed origin is weighed against the closest plausible alternatives: Moroccan against Algerian, eastern Libyan against Egyptian, Sudanese against Chadian, or southern Iraqi against Gulf speech.
The written expert report states the methods, documents each step, discusses other explanations and is open about uncertainty. In the UK, a 2010 tribunal ruling emphasised that reports by native-speaker analysts with expert supervision should be given significant weight. SILA Linguists® follows recognised professional codes of practice, prepares second-opinion reports on analyses by others and provides expert witnesses for appeals.
Nationality assessment for Arabic speakers
Arabic dialects often cross borders: Levantine is shared by Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestinian communities, and Gulf speech spans several states. A nationality assessment tests the national level, for example whether a speaker claiming Egyptian nationality commands Egyptian Arabic, the national colloquial built on Cairo speech, together with administrative vocabulary and institutional knowledge. LADO then traces the local dialect to a region or town. For people whose first language is not Arabic, such as Amazigh speakers from Morocco or Algeria, the national layer can be assessed through Arabic or French as a vehicular language.
Arabic interpreters, translation and transcription for legal work
Alongside language analysis, SILA Linguists® books Arabic interpreters matched by dialect for interviews, consultations, community and healthcare settings, and court and tribunal hearings: face to face, by telephone 24/7, by video, consecutively or as remote simultaneous interpreting. A female or male interpreter can be requested. Certified Arabic translation of birth certificates, court papers and identity documents, with names transliterated consistently, and Arabic transcription with time stamps and translation keep the evidence coherent.
Our vetted, trained and qualified Arabic analysts and linguists can support immigration decision-makers, solicitors and barristers, tribunals, police and charities supporting refugees across the UK, North America, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. A dedicated project team, vetted linguists, NDAs and UK GDPR give every Arabic case the same careful handling.
How LADO and nationality assessment fit together
- Nationality assessment works at national level: the macro view.
- LADO traces a speaker to a region, town or community: the micro view.
- Used together, they give the clearest and most reliable picture.
Questions about this language analysis
Can an analysis tell Moroccan from Algerian Arabic?
These neighbouring Maghrebi varieties are mutually intelligible, but they differ in pronunciation, word choice and the loanwords each has absorbed. A native-speaker analyst with Maghrebi expertise examines these small differences and states in the report how clearly they point to one country rather than the other.
The person spoke Modern Standard Arabic throughout the interview. Is that a problem?
It can limit the evidence, because standard Arabic shows schooling more than origin. The analyst advises on the recording and, where possible, a further recording in which the person talks freely about everyday life usually brings out their own dialect.
What if Arabic is not the person's first language?
The analysis takes that into account. Many people from Chad, Sudan, Morocco or Algeria speak another language first, such as Zaghawa, Fur or Tamazight. Arabic learned as a second language still carries regional features, and we can advise whether analysis in the first language would be more informative.
Language analysis by language
Pages for languages and dialects we are often asked to analyse, and for clients in particular countries.
Af-May (Maay) LADO
Maay language analysis for people from the inter-riverine south of Somalia, kept apart from Northern and Benadir Somali.
Albanian LADO
Albanian LADO reports that read Gheg and Tosk features to assess origin in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia or Montenegro.
Amharic LADO
Amharic language analysis for Ethiopian claims, including speakers who learnt Amharic as a second language.
Bengali LADO
Bengali (Bangla) LADO weighing Bangladeshi against Indian usage and regional speech from Sylhet to Chattogram.
Burmese LADO
Burmese LADO that separates Irrawaddy valley speech, Rakhine and Tavoyan features, and Burmese learned as a second language.
Dari and Hazaragi LADO
Dari and Hazaragi LADO for Afghans and Hazaras raised in Afghanistan, Iran or Pakistan, with Farsi and Urdu influence assessed.
Dari LADO
Dari LADO focused on Afghan regional speech, Iranian Farsi contrast and the official vocabulary of Afghan documents.
Edo (Bini) LADO
Edo (Bini) LADO for people from Benin City and Edo State, with Nigerian Pidgin and English considered alongside Edo.
Eritrea: LADO and nationality
Tigrinya and Amharic LADO with nationality assessment for claimed Eritreans, including Eritreans raised in Ethiopia.
Georgian LADO
Georgian LADO reports covering regional dialects, Mingrelian and Svan backgrounds and Georgian communities in Turkey or Iran.
Ghanaian Pidgin LADO
LADO for speakers of Ghanaian Pidgin, weighing it against Nigerian Pidgin and drawing on Twi and Ghanaian English.
Gulf Arabic LADO
Khaleeji LADO comparing Kuwaiti, Bahraini, Qatari, Emirati and Eastern Province speech with neighbouring varieties.
Hassaniya Arabic LADO
Hassaniya LADO for Mauritania, Western Sahara and the wider Sahara, by analysts who know Klam el-Bidhan.
Kibajuni (Bajuni) LADO
Bajuni language analysis that tests Kibajuni speech from the southern Somali coast against Kenyan and Tanzanian Swahili.
Kpelle LADO
Kpelle language analysis that weighs Liberian against Guinean speech, including Liberian English, French and Maninka influence.
Kurdish Badini LADO
Badini LADO for the Duhok governorate, weighing Iraqi Badinan against Kurmanji speech across the Turkish and Syrian borders.
Kurdish Kurmanji LADO
Kurmanji LADO across Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran, using accent, vocabulary and contact languages to assess origin.
Kurdish LADO
Kurdish LADO that starts by identifying the variety: Kurmanji, Badini, Sorani, Southern Kurdish and neighbouring forms.
Kurdish Sorani LADO
Sorani LADO that separates Iraqi and Iranian Central Kurdish, from Erbil and Sulaymaniyah to Sanandaj and Mahabad.
Kuwaiti Bidoon LADO
Gulf Arabic LADO and nationality assessment for stateless Kuwaiti Bidoon whose Kuwaiti origin is disputed against Iraq.
Levantine Arabic LADO
Levantine Arabic LADO for Syrian and Palestinian claimants: Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestinian communities and refugee camps.
Lingala LADO
Lingala LADO weighing Kinshasa and Brazzaville speech, French borrowing, urban slang and the speaker's other Congolese languages.
Maghrebi Arabic LADO
Darija LADO that separates Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian and Libyan speech and reads French and Amazigh influence.
Mandinka LADO
Mandinka LADO placing speech in The Gambia, Casamance or Guinea-Bissau and separating it from Bambara, Maninka and Dyula.
Nigerian Pidgin LADO
Naija LADO separating Nigerian Pidgin from Cameroonian Pidgin and Krio, and Lagos from Niger Delta speech.
Oromo LADO
Oromo LADO that places speech in West Central, Eastern or Borana areas and weighs Ethiopia against Kenya.
Palestinian Arabic LADO
Palestinian Arabic LADO for urban, rural and Bedouin speech, compared with Jordanian and northern Levantine forms.
Pashto (Afghanistan) LADO
Pashto (Afghanistan) LADO weighing southern and northern speech and Dari or Urdu influence, with Pakistan as the main alternative.
Pashto (Pakistan) LADO
LADO for Pakhto speakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northern Balochistan and Karachi, including Urdu contact and Pakistani schooling.
Pulaar (Fulfulde) LADO
Fula LADO distinguishing Pulaar, Pular and Fulfulde varieties from Senegal and Guinea to Nigeria and Cameroon.
Punjabi LADO
Punjabi LADO separating Indian and Pakistani Punjab, Majhi, Doabi and Malwai from Pothwari and Mirpuri speech.
Rohingya LADO
Rohingya LADO distinguishing northern Rakhine State speech from Chittagonian, with camp and migration history considered.
Russian LADO
Russian LADO that looks beyond the standard language to local vocabulary and the first language beneath a speaker's Russian.
Somali LADO
Somali LADO that tells Northern, Benadir and Maay speech apart and weighs time spent in Kenya, Ethiopia or Djibouti.
Sudanese and Darfur LADO
LADO for Sudanese Arabic and the Darfur languages Fur, Zaghawa and Masalit, weighing Sudan against eastern Chad.
Sylheti LADO
Sylheti LADO for speakers from the Sylhet Division and India's Barak Valley, analysed apart from standard Bengali.
Tamil LADO
Tamil LADO comparing Jaffna, eastern and hill country Tamil from Sri Lanka with Tamil Nadu speech.
Tibetan nationality assessment
Nationality assessment for claimed Tibetans, supported by LADO: raised in Tibet, or in exile communities in Nepal or India?
Tigrinya LADO
Tigrinya LADO that tests whether speech was formed in Eritrea or in Tigray, with loanwords and second languages examined.
Turkmen LADO
Turkmen LADO comparing Teke-based standard speech with Yomut, Ersari and the Farsi-influenced Turkmen of Iran and Afghanistan.
Urdu LADO
Urdu LADO that looks beyond the national language to the first language, region and schooling a speaker's Urdu reveals.
Uyghur LADO
Uyghur LADO covering the dialects of Xinjiang and the Central Asian communities, handled in full confidence.
Uzbek LADO
Uzbek LADO telling Northern Uzbek of Uzbekistan from Afghan Southern Uzbek, with Russian, Tajik and Dari contact assessed.
Wolof LADO
Wolof LADO that weighs Senegalese against Gambian speech, French against English loanwords, and Dakar urban Wolof.
Yemeni Arabic LADO
Yemeni Arabic LADO across Sanaani, Taizzi-Adeni, Hadrami and Tihami speech, with Gulf and Saudi forms as comparisons.
By location
LADO in Norway
LADO for Norwegian lawyers, organisations and public bodies, with English reports and certified Norwegian translation on request.
LADO in Scotland
LADO for Scottish solicitors, advocates and charities, from legal aid asylum work to expert evidence at tribunal hearings.
Discuss a language analysis case
Tell us the language or dialect, the type of report you need (origin, age or second opinion) and your deadline.