Abstract
The feasibility and utility of teaching multiple Varieties of Arabic, a case Study!
In light of the recent events in Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt… and looking at the whole scene in the Arab world, it is an understatement to say that the interest in all sources of media in Arabic has grown dramatically by both the experts and non-experts in the language.
In the American campus and mainly in classrooms where Arabic is offered as a foreign language, the specific interest and questions about the similarities and differences regarding varieties of Arabic have more than multiplied.
With this in mind, I plan to share the outcomes of a small scale case study based on the use of material in different varieties of Arabic. I will test the validity of the argument that the spoken and the written are in fact part of the same system. I will also test the feasibility of such an approach and share the outcomes. Ultimately, my focus will be on looking for feedback that supports the view that the different varieties of spoken Arabic strengthen the idea of continuity rather than the opposite.
I will fully explore and share the findings using questionnaires and interviews related to the material presented in different samples of varieties of spoken Arabic: Moroccan, Algerian, Bahraini, Egyptian, Jordanian, and Palestinian. I plan to use the varieties both exclusively and at times concurrently in order to simulate as close to an ideal situation as possible where two or more varieties of the Fusha are used and understood. The outcomes will be based on the feedback of the learners of Arabic as a Foreign language as participants and in other cases as observers.
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