Considering self-teaching MSA and Egyptian at once. Am I insane?
Hello!! I am a complete beginner to Arabic but I have self-taught a language before (French, which I know is significantly easier for an English speaker to learn). I don't have local classes or really a significant local Arabic speaking population to practice with, so self teaching is my best bet currently.
Reason to learn MSA: I am finishing my education to be a historian that studies primarily modern Egypt but potentially would have reasons to research in places like Libya, Sudan, Palestine, Syria, or Lebanon as well. I study ancient history so while my research topics wouldn't have spoken Arabic there are lots of career benefits I can see from learning. About 1/3 of journals in my field are in MSA, for example (though often with English translations available). Being able to converse and read/write professionally with (especially Egyptian) colleagues would also be a huge help to my career.
Reason to learn Egyptian Arabic: I also strongly believe historians owe modern peoples dignity and respect while studying their ancestors, and learning the local language is imo the bare minimum towards achieving that. I also have no interest personally in learning a language without day to day practical use (for example I could never stick with Latin because obviously there are no native Latin speakers to chat with and that kills my motivation). I could try to do MSA alone for work but I worry that without having Arabic pen pals, being able to immerse myself in modern Arabic media etc., I will lose motivation entirely. I already listen to Arabic rap/r&b and am excited to read novels and watch TV shows etc.
I have already found great free online resources for both dialects so I'm really just hesitating on whether to learn both or not. Any advice appreciated!