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An 'Arabic' Composition: Teaching the Rawābiṭ in the Arabic Language Classroom
Abstract
Years of neglect of teaching the writing skill prompted Ryding (2013) to remark that writing remains “an under-researched topic that deserves greater professional attention.” The traditional ‘auxiliary’ status of writing in the language curriculum must be reassessed and to feature writing prominently as a skill commensurate with reading, speaking, and listening. Central to the integrity of any Arabic composition are the rawābiṭ (“connectors”) that serve a critical role creating discursive coherence and textual cohesion (Al-Batal 1985; Shakir and Obeidat 1992). In a similarly relevant study, Chiang (2003) reveals that the “overall quality” of writing samples from Chinese learners of English is deemed ‘foreign,’ because discursive coherence and textual cohesion is absent. This paper examines the discursive importance of the Arabic rawābiṭ and suggests directions for future research in constructing a pedagogy of the writing skill. I have chosen to highlight the teaching of the rawābiṭ because instructors often neglect, and students unknowingly overlook, the semantic and discursive functions that the rawābiṭ lend to forging a cohesive and coherent text. This paper adapts Ruiz-Funes’ (1999) reading-to-write model and suggests exploiting the non-linear stages of reading to raise learners’ awareness to the cohesive role of the rawābiṭ. Four research questions guide this study. First, what are the semantic functions of the rawābịt? The traditional attention to only the syntactic features of the rawābiṭ is outdated in light of the communicative objectives of language teaching. Next, which rawābiṭ correspond to which levels of proficiency as outlined by ACTFL? This is important in order to develop student skills and confidence in using the rawābịt appropriate for their general language capabilities. The third question investigates how current language curricula teach the rawābiṭ. While several textbooks for writing have been introduced since Al-Warraki and Hassanein (1994), haphazard groupings bury the rawābiṭ amid collocations, idiomatic phrases, and even demonstrative pronouns. Lastly, which approaches should instructors adopt to effectively teach the rawābiṭ? This paper suggests the reading-to-write approach, which inverts the relationship between the skills: writing no longer is auxiliary to reading but rather reading serves writing. The undeniable importance of the rawābiṭ in Arabic composition makes their strategic inclusion in all levels of the curriculum essential. By linking research in the role of the rawābịt to the needs of Arabic students at various levels of proficiency, this paper proposes innovative approaches to teaching writing.
Discipline
Education
Geographic Area
None
Sub Area
Education