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World Languages & Cultures » Arabic

Arabic

World Languages and Cultures

World Language and Cultures

Arabic

Resources for Arabic

السلام عليكم   Assalamu alaykum!
 
Arabic is a semitic language spoken as an official language in 25 countries and is a native language to more than 300 million people worldwide. Arabic is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.  Moreover, the U.S. Department of State has named Arabic one of thirteeen "critical need" languages.
 
While there are numerous dialects and variations of Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic is understood across the Arab world and is the form of Arabic one is most likely to encounter via Arabic-language mass communication media.  Modern Standard Arabic is the variation that is most frequently taught as a foreign language to non-Arabic speakers.  Arabic is written from right to left.
 
For additional information about Arabic, please see BBC's webpage on Arabic or UCLA's Language Materials Project webpage on Arabic. 

Why Learn Arabic?

The study of Arabic language and Arab culture reaps many benefits.  Here are just a few of the reasons to learn Arabic.

  • Arabic is the 5th most commonly spoken language in the world.

  • California ranks first among states with the Arab-Americans, with approximately 272,000 residents claiming ancestry from an Arab nation.

  • Los Angeles County has the highest concentration of Arab-Americans among counties in the state, nearly 30%.

  • As the Arab region continues to grow, it provides unprecedented opportunities for export of goods and services.

  • Knowledge of Arabic provides better insight into all aspects of business with the Arab world, including cultural and academic exchanges, commerce, world politics and peace-building.

  • Knowledge of Arabic allows access to historical artifacts as well as contemporary cultural products and perspectives that may only be accessible in the Arabic language.

  • There are many employment and career opportunities for Arabic speakers, including but not limited to the fields of journalism, business, industry, education, finance, translation, consulting, finance, and foreign service.

References:
 

Arabic Professional and Learning Organizations

Southern California Arabic Language Teachers Council

The goal of the project is to support the teaching of Arabic in Southern California and to provide Arabic language educators from a variety of institutions K-16, private and public, full time and weekend school with a forum to meet, network, share resources and ideas; assist schools that would like to start new programs; reach out to communities and educate them about the Arabic language and culture; and advocate for Arabic language and culture programs in the schools.

American Association of Teachers of Arabic

The American Association of Teachers of Arabic (AATA) is the national professional organization of teachers of Arabic.  It aims to facilitate communication and cooperation between teachers of Arabic and to promote study, criticism, research and instruction in the field of Arabic language pedagogy, Arabic linguistics and Arabic literature.  AATA's resource page contains a wealth of links helpful to teachers of Arabic.

Resources for Teachers and Learners of Arabic

Arabic K-12 Teacher Network of the National Capitol Language Resource Center (NCLRC)

The mission of the NCLRC is to serve as a resource to improve the teaching and learning of foreign languages. It fulfills this function by providing material resources and professional services that derive from its activities and projects.  The Arabic-K12 Network is part of a project within the National Capital Language Resource Center (NCLRC), a consortium organization of the Georgetown University, the George Washington University , and the Center for Applied Linguistics. 

Teaching of Arabic as Foreign Language (TAFL) Journal

The articles presented within this site cover issues of Teaching Arabic as Foreign language and will be published only in Arabic.  The website also provides access to various resources and news for Arabic instructors.