Arabic Spoken Language Identification System (ASLIS): A Proposed System to Identifying Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Egyptian Dialect

Globalization has had an impact on the education system in the UAE, where the increased use of bilingual curriculum (Arabic-English) is held in high regard. Nevertheless, literacy in Arabic among Emirati children and teenagers remains low. This study uses a 15-item, open-ended questionnaire completed by Emirati parents and an eight-item, open-ended questionnaire completed by Emirati primary school children from 8 to 11 years of age to compare the translations of The Little Prince into Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and into the Emirati dialect. The results suggest that not only the Emirati dialect, but any Arabic dialect (in its respective Arab country) could be used in primary schools to motivate children to read in Arabic and bridge the gap between their spoken language (dialect) and formal written Arabic. Not only must an Arab child learn how to read, but also, they have to understand a very formal language system that they are not used to speaking at home, i.e., Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Having books in their own dialects may make children more interested in reading, as they can understand them more easily.

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FACEBOOK WRITTEN LEVANTINE VERNACULAR LANGUAGES

The Levantine Review ◽

10.6017/lev.v1i1.2157 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 68 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Dua'a Abu Elhij'a

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Spoken Language ◽

Electronic Media ◽

Modern Standard Arabic ◽

Standard Arabic ◽

Arabic Speakers ◽

Classical Language ◽

Arabic Speaking ◽

Msn Messenger ◽

Modern Standard

Over the last fifteen years, in every Arabic-speaking country, young Arabic speakers have begun to write their spoken language in electronic media, such as Facebook, MSN Messenger, and so on. The new way of writing in social media is a radical deviation from the traditional norm of writing the classical language—as well as what is commonly referred to as Modern Standard Arabic. This study is presenting this phenomenon in the Levant— Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel/Palestine.

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Promoting Arabic Literacy in Primary Schools in the United Arab Emirates through the Emirati Dialect

Sci ◽

10.3390/sci2040079 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

pp. 79

Author(s):

Jean Pierre Ribeiro Daquila

Keyword(s):

United Arab Emirates ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Formal Language ◽

Spoken Language ◽

Arab Country ◽

Primary School Children ◽

Modern Standard Arabic ◽

Standard Arabic ◽

High Regard ◽

Modern Standard

Globalization has had an impact on the education system in the UAE, where increased use of bilingual curriculum (Arabic-English) is held in high regard. Nevertheless, literacy among Emirati children and teenagers remains low. This study uses a 15-item, open-ended questionnaire completed by Emirati parents and an 8-item, open-ended questionnaire completed by Emirati primary school children from 8 to 11 years of age, and compares the translation of The Little prince into Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and into the Emirati dialect. The results suggest that not only the Emirati dialect, but any Arabic dialect (in its respective Arab country) could be used in primary schools to motivate children to read in Arabic and bridge the gap between their spoken language (dialect) and formal written Arabic. Not only must an Arab child learn how to read, but also, they have to understand a very formal language system that they are not used to speaking at home, i.e., Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Having books in their own dialects may make children more interested in reading, as they can understand them more easily.

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The effects of motivation on processing instruction in the acquisition of Modern Standard Arabic gender agreement

Instructed Second Language Acquisition ◽

10.1558/isla.34879 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 61-82

Author(s):

Ayah Farhat ◽

Alessandro Benati

Keyword(s):

Academic Motivation ◽

Processing Instruction ◽

Gender Agreement ◽

Modern Standard Arabic ◽

Language Background ◽

Standard Arabic ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Sentence Level ◽

Post Test ◽

Modern Standard

The present study investigates the effects of motivation and processing instruction on the acquisition of Modern Standard Arabic gender agreement. The role of individual differences (e.g. age, gender, aptitude, language background and working memory) on the positive effects generated by processing instruction has been investigated in the last few years. However, no previous research has been conducted to measure the possible effects of motivation on L2 learners exposed to processing instruction. In addition, a reasonable question to be addressed within the processing instruction research framework is whether its positive effects can be generalised to the acquisition of Modern Standard Arabic. The Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and the Attitude Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) motivation questionnaires were used to capture different variables that influence motivation in order to create the two different groups (high and low motivated). In this experimental study, forty-one native English school-age learners (aged 8–11) were assigned to two groups: ‘the high motivated group’ (n = 29): and the ‘low motivated group’ (n = 12). Both groups received processing instruction, which lasted for three hours. Sentence-level interpretation and production tasks were used in a pre-test and post-test design to measure instructional effects. The learners were required to fill in gaps in both written and spoken mode for the activities. The study also included a delayed post-test administered to the two groups four weeks later. The results indicated that both groups improved equally from pre-test to post-test in all assessment measures and they both retained the positive effects of the training in the delayed posttests. Processing instruction was proved to be the main factor for the improvement in performance regardless of the learner’s level of motivation.

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