Shannon Elizabeth Munyan

For American Shannon Elizabeth Munyan, learning Arabic in her spare time while living and working in Dubai just made sense. She felt that if she wanted to be a factor at her job and in society, she needed to adapt to her new home and learn the language of the land. After one year of learning Modern Standard Arabic, Munyan chose to focus on learning the Hijazi dialect (of the Hijaz region in Saudi Arabia). After a few years of learning and gaining a command of Arabic, she has made a splash with her YouTube channel by bridging two worlds using her love of education to teach native Arabic speakers her own language, English.

In late 2013, Munyan began making her series of videos called “Al-A’ameeya Al-Amrekeeya ma’a Shannon,” which translates to “Colloquial American with Shannon.” With 22,390 subscribers and 1,303,667 views on YouTube, Munyan uses her videos to connect with eager learners. According to her experience, Arabic speakers are more receptive to her Hijazi as opposed to Modern Standard Arabic. The basic format of her creative series is to act out everyday scenarios with other actors as a way to explain the meanings of American expressions. Her manner is helpful, charming, and straightforward, which of course add to her appeal as a teacher.

However, her videos are not limited to lessons in English, she shares her exciting travels such as visiting Stanford University, China, Yosemite National Park, or attending a close friend’s wedding. In addition, she has taken to translating the popular English songs she uses in montages of her adventures by adding Arabic subtitles. Her appeal is rapidly growing and particularly with Saudis studying abroad. Munyan is also interested in acting and has guest starred in an episode of the third season of the Arabic MBC series “Wi-Fi.” Recently, she added the title of writer to her list of occupations when she signed a deal to publish a book in Arabic called “Al-A’ameeya Al-Amrekeeya.”

In a conversation with Arab News, Shannon Munyan, fondly nicknamed “Hessa AlOtaibi” by Saudi colleagues, explained what drew her to Arabic and Hijazi specifically, contributing and teaching with her videos, as well as how this whole experience has changed her life.

For background, please briefly say something about yourself.

I’m 27 and I grew up in Alexandria, Virginia. I’m based in Dubai and San Francisco (Love both cities!) I graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 2010 with a BS in Economics. I began working at the Saudi media company MBC in December 2010. While working there, I started learning Arabic on the side, and eventually got to the level where I could act and present in the language. In the end of 2013, I started working on “Al-A’ameeya Al-Amrekeeya ma’a Shannon” as a way to give back and help native Arabic speakers learn English. It’s been a lot of fun so far, and very fulfilling!

In the age of globalization and the worldwide focus on learning English, what motivated you to learn Arabic, and Hijazi specifically?

I worked in a Saudi media company and apart from many colleagues being Arabic speakers, all the non-Arabic TV shows and movies are subtitled or dubbed in Arabic (for a primarily Saudi viewing audience). I didn’t understand why or how other expats could work in an Arab media company and not know the language the programming is in. I knew that if I wanted to contribute to the company and society in a tangible way, I would have to learn the language. I chose to learn Hijazi after studying Modern Standard Arabic for one year — mainly because many of my friends here are Saudi and I was interested in learning a dialect I would use frequently.

What has been the reaction to your YouTube series “Al-A’ameeya Al-Amrekeeya ma’a Shannon” from viewers?

Overall, very positive! Viewers love learning slang phrases and idioms because one cannot find them on Google Translate. I explain the meanings in a Saudi dialect, which they appreciate a lot.

Who is your target audience? And what has been the feedback from them?

My audience is over 90 percent Saudi. They are a great audience; they give honest feedback and help us make the show even better.

How do you choose the American expressions that you explain in your videos? Do you receive requests for explanations of certain phrases?

Lately, I have been choosing expressions based around a general theme (interviews, weddings, etc.). I do receive explanation requests, mainly on Twitter.

As a way to pass on your knowledge, have you thought of starting videos with the opposite objective: teach students or expats learning Arabic, Hijazi or Arabic sayings?

I’ve thought about teaching expats Arabic, but I feel that there are so many native Arabic speakers/teachers out there that are much better at this; I like to stick to where I feel I add the most value. There are very few native English speakers that learn Arabic and use it to help Arabic speakers learn English. I feel that when a British or American expat comes to the Middle East to teach Arabs English, they should know at least a little bit of Arabic. It makes it so much easier to relate.

How would you say the Arabic language has affected your life from the time you began Arabic classes till today?

I knew that when I started learning Arabic, I was in it for the long-term. And I knew it was going to make me a different person. It has. The people and opportunities that have come into my life because of my learning Arabic have brought me so much happiness and fulfillment. I have matured a lot, become a better ‘global citizen,’ and learned a great deal about how I can contribute to the world and about myself.

What can your viewers expect from your show this year? Are there any projects, collaborations, changes or additions you can share with us?

Good question! I hope to do more “vlog”-type episodes for the places I visit, and more “themed” episodes that feature multiple related phrases.

For updates, her blog and, original videos, be sure to visit Munyan’s unique and artistic website www.lahjaty.com. Also, follow and subscribe to @AnisaAmrekeeya on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

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