Mehmed Ali’s officer corps spoke Turkish while common soldiers spoke Arabic.

Evidence

Second, all modern armies are a microcosm of their larger societies in a crucial sense: by erecting and maintaining clear distinctions (in dress, pay, rights and duties) between soldiers and officers and in sharpening distinctions within each group by an elaborate hierarchical structure, armies reflect the class divisions within society at large. This sharp stratification was even more apparent in the case of Mehmed Ali’s army than with most other contemporary armies since the officer corps was ethnically and linguistically different from the overwhelming majority of the soldiery. Studying the internal relationship between soldiers and officers within that army, therefore, allows us to see how a representative proportion of the masses dealt with members of the elite and how these conflictual boundaries between the Turkish-speaking elite and the Arabic-speaking lower classes were constantly fought and challenged. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 118

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s broader interest in Ottoman Pasha rule over Arabic-speaking subjects; echoes colonial/officer-native divides elsewhere in empire histories. — connects to: Egyptian soldiers served under Turkish officers in the reformed army; The ‘Urabi Revolt was partly a revolt of Arabic-speaking officers against Turkish-speaking superiors. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 1368; Mehmed Ali barred Arabic-speaking officers from high army and bureaucratic ranks (+2 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 118