For this study a corpus-linguistic approach was chosen, requiring the compilation of a text corpus of radio news bulletins from linguistically very different countries, Algeria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Beyond Lexical Variation in Modern Standard Arabic presents several aspects concerning Modern Standard Arabic. It analyzes the different forms of lexical variation, and the causes for these variations. This starting point led to many other vital issues related to the present state of the Arabic Language such as language planning, native speakers' identity and fears and most importantly the relationship between the different Arabic varieties: Classical, Modern Standard, and dialects. The book analyzes lexical variation comprehensively and provides deep insights on the present state of the language with some speculations on its future.
This volume deals with the linguistic behaviour of Egyptian academics in a specific setting: the panel presentation - assumed to represent a discourse genre, to which speakers will respond with some kind of similar stylistic norm, reflected in linguistic choices among variants of a feature. The features selected for investigation are: complementizers, demonstratives, negation, relatives, and pronoun suffixation - all of which have binary variants in the two basic codes available to the speaker, the standard variety and the vernacular. The use of the variants is discussed for each speaker and across speakers, demonstrating certain patterns of distribution (order), but also a high degree of variable usage (chaos). The investigation is set in a wider comparative sociolinguistic framework.
Modern Arabic Sociolinguistics outlines and evaluates the major approaches and methods used in Arabic sociolinguistic research with respect to diglossia, codeswitching, language variation and attitudes and social identity. This book: outlines the main research findings in these core areas and relates them to a wide range of constructs, including social context, speech communities, prestige, power, language planning, gender and religion examines two emerging areas in Arabic sociolinguistic research, internet-mediated communication and heritage speakers, in relation to globalization, language dominance and interference and language loss and maintenance analyses the interplay between the various sociolinguistic aspects and examines the complex nature of the Arabic multidialectal, multinational, and multiethnic sociolinguistic situation. Based on the author’s recent fieldwork in several Arab countries this book is an essential resource for researchers and students of sociolinguistics, Arabic linguistics, and Arabic studies.
Arabic is one of the world's largest languages, spoken natively by nearly 300 million people. By strength of numbers alone Arabic is one of our most important languages, studied by scholars across many different academic fields and cultural settings. It is, however, a complex language rooted in its own tradition of scholarship, constituted of varieties each imbued with unique cultural values and characteristic linguistic properties. Understanding its linguistics holistically is therefore a challenge. The Oxford Handbook of Arabic Linguistics is a comprehensive, one-volume guide that deals with all major research domains which have been developed within Arabic linguistics. Chapters are written by leading experts in the field, who both present state-of-the-art overviews and develop their own critical perspectives. The Handbook begins with Arabic in its Semitic setting and ends with the modern dialects; it ranges across the traditional--the classical Arabic grammatical and lexicographical traditions--to the contemporary--Arabic sociolinguistics, Creole varieties and codeswitching, psycholinguistics, and Arabic as a second language - while situating Arabic within current phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic and lexicological theory. An essential reference work for anyone working within Arabic linguistics, the book brings together different approaches and scholarly traditions, and provides analysis of current trends and directions for future research.
Arabic-English-Arabic-English Translation: Issues and Strategies is an accessible coursebook for students and practitioners of Arabic-English-Arabic translation. Focusing on the key issues and topics affecting the field, it offers informed guidance on the most effective methods to deal with such problems, enabling users to develop deeper insights and enhance their translation skills. Key features include: A focus on Arabic-English translation in both directions, preparing students for the real-life experiences of practitioners in the field In-depth discussion of the core issues of phraseology, language variation and translation, legal translation and translation technology in Arabic and English translation Authentic sample texts in each chapter, taken from a variety of sources from across the Arabic-speaking world to provide snapshots of real-life language use Source texts followed by examples of possible translation strategies, with extensive commentaries, to showcase the best translation practices and methodologies A range of supporting exercises to enable students to practise their newly acquired knowledge and skills Inclusion of a wide range of themes covering both linguistic and genre issues, offering multidimensional perspectives and depth and breadth in learning List of recommended readings and resources for each of the topics under discussion Comprehensive glossary and bibliography at the back of the book. Lucid and practical in its approach, Arabic-English-Arabic-English Translation: Issues and Strategies will be an indispensable resource for intermediate to advanced students of Arabic. It will also be of great interest to professional translators working in Arabic-English-Arabic translation.
This volume is the first of its kind to deal with a variety of topics by leading scholars related to the use of Arabic in the media. The contributors examine patterns of language use in traditional as well as 'new' media types, in order to further our understanding of the mechanism at work in the development of modern Arabic, both in its standard and colloquial varieties. The first part of this volume is devoted to a close analysis of various aspects of media Arabic (code-switching, language variation, orthography and constructions of identity); the second part builds on the first, as it asks, to what extent does the Arabic used in the media reflect social and linguistic realities of Arabic speaking audiences (‘clichéd’ dialects, code-switching and socialects)? How can our knowledge of the linguistic reality of the media in the Arab world contribute to teaching the media to foreign students learning Arabic?
This book is the third of a series of collected volumes on language and linguistics published by the AUC Press. The chapters this time are based on papers delivered at the second International AUC-Oxford University Conference on Language and Linguistics, held in 2006 at the American University in Cairo. The contributions reflect global concerns related to both the Arabic and the English languages and to linguistics in general and are the work of world-renowned scholars, whose concerns address diverse but related topics in language and information dissemination. The resulting collection presented here boasts a wide range of scholarship from the Arabic-speaking world as well as the United States, Canada, and western and eastern Europe. Twelve chapters grouped in four sections cover a wide variety of topics--phonetics, syntax, variation, computational linguistics, and globalization and its effects on linguistic discourse and language teaching--and reflect the latest research in the various fields, together giving a global perspective on Arabic linguistics. Contributors: Kirk Belnap, Robert Berman, Samira ElAtia, Mervat Mohamed Ahmed Fashal, Konrad Gunesch, Jacob Høigilt, Zeinab Ibrahim, Gunvor Mejdell, Mark Van Mol, Mustafa Mughazy, Dilworth Parkinson, Irena Vassileva, Diana Yankova.
This landmark volume offers an introduction to the field of teaching Arabic as a foreign or second language. Recent growth in student numbers and the demand for new and more diverse Arabic language programs of instruction have created a need that has outpaced the ability of teacher preparation programs to provide sufficient numbers of well-qualified professional teachers at the level of skill required. Arabic language program administrators anticipate that the increases in enrollment will continue into the next decades. More resources and more varied materials are seriously needed in Arabic teacher education and training. The goal of this Handbook is to address that need. The most significant feature of this volume is its pioneer role in approaching the field of Arabic language teaching from many different perspectives. It offers readers the opportunity to consider the role, status, and content of Arabic language teaching in the world today. The Handbook is intended as a resource to be used in building Arabic language and teacher education programs and in guiding future academic research. Thirty-four chapters authored by leaders in the field are organized around nine themes: *Background of Arabic Language Teaching; *Contexts of Arabic Language Teaching; *Communicative Competence in Arabic; *The Learners; *Assessment; *Technology Applications; *Curriculum Development, Design, and Models; *Arabic Language Program Administration and Management; and *Planning for the Future of Arabic Language Learning and Teaching. The Handbook for Arabic Language Teaching Professionals in the 21st Century will benefit and be welcomed by Arabic language teacher educators and trainers, administrators, graduate students, and scholars around the world. It is intended to create dialogue among scholars and professionals in the field and in related fields--dialogue that will contribute to creating new models for curriculum and course design, materials and assessment tools, and ultimately, better instructional effectiveness for all Arabic learners everywhere, in both Arabic-speaking and non-Arabic speaking countries.
This book studies the micro-variation in the syntax of negation of Southern Levantine, Gulf and Standard Arabic. By including new and recently published data that support key issues for the syntax of negation, the book challenges the standard parametric view that negation has a fixed parametrized position in syntactic structure. It particularly argues for a multi-locus analysis with syntactic, semantic, morphosyntactic and diachronic implications for the various structural positions. Thus accounting for numerous word order restrictions, semantic ambiguities and pragmatic interpretations without complicating narrow syntax with special operations, configurations or constraints.