What Is Formal Spoken Arabic?

2021 ◽  
pp. 199-213
Author(s):  
Gunvor Mejdell
Keyword(s):  
Spoken Arabic

Cross-dialectal variation in Arabic: Competing prestigious forms

1987 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan R. Abd-El-Jawad
Keyword(s):  
Social Groups ◽  
Standard Variety ◽  
Adequate Description ◽  
Sociolinguistic Variation ◽  
Dialectal Variation ◽  
Standard Arabic ◽  
Arabic Sociolinguistics ◽  
Informal Settings ◽  
Spoken Arabic ◽  
Modern Standard

ABSTRACTMost researchers of Arabic sociolinguistics assume the existence of a sociolinguistic continuum with a local vernacular at the bottom and the standard variety at the top. Those researchers seem to equate the terms “prestige” and “standard”; consequently, they tend to consider Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as the only prestige variety in all settings. This article presents evidence showing that if an adequate description of sociolinguistic variation of spoken Arabic is to be met, it is necessary to posit not only one standard speech variety, MSA, but also other prestigious local or regional varieties which act as local spoken standards competing with MSA in informal settings. It will be shown in the reported cases that in certain contexts speakers tend to switch from their local forms – though these latter may be identical to MSA – to other local features characteristic of other dominant social groups and that happen to be marked [–MSA], These local prestigious norms act like the standard spoken norms in informal settings. (Diglossic model, prestigious varieties, stereotypes, dominant social groups, competing standards, spoken Arabic).

scholarly journals Effect of Empathic Tones on Spelling Ability among Native Arab Children

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 823-828
Author(s):  
Raphiq Ibrahim ◽  
Samih Badarny
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Elementary School Children ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Arabic Orthography ◽  
Arab Children ◽  
Spelling Performance ◽  
Spelling Ability ◽  
Concrete Nouns ◽  
Spoken Arabic

Little research has been conducted on the development of spelling in general and in the Arabic language in particular. In this research, we intend to examine the effect of empathic tones in words on the accuracy of spelling. The study included 162 elementary school children. They were asked to spell concrete nouns, including frequently and less frequently used words, from literary and spoken Arabic containing both empathic and non-empathic tones. Significant effect of empathic tones on spelling accuracy was found. This manifested itself in a better spelling performance of words without empathic tones than in words with empathic tones. The research results reinforce a specific characteristic of Arabic orthography and emphasize the need for appropriate intervention to improve the spelling abilities of children.

scholarly journals The polyfunctional lexeme /fard/ in the Arabic dialects of Iraq and Khuzestan

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-44
Author(s):  
Bettina Leitner ◽  
Stefan Prochazka
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Definite Article ◽  
Epistemic Status ◽  
Main Function ◽  
Indefinite Article ◽  
Text Corpora ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Spoken Arabic ◽  
Very High

Abstract The primary aim of this paper is to explore the functions of the word /fard/ in Iraqi and Khuzestani Arabic. The study is based on the analysis of various text corpora and the elicitation of further examples from native speakers of the varieties investigated. The analysis of these data has shown that /fard/ is a polyfunctional item. Its various functions are the result of several grammaticalization processes. In the first stage, the noun “individual” has become a quantifier that expresses singularity. From this stage it developed into an intensifier, a marker of approximation and the scalar adverb “only.” It has been demonstrated that, from its use as a presentative marker, it developed toward an indefinite article. In contrast to the definite article, which is a grammatical category in nearly every variety of Arabic, the use of an indefinite article is rarely found in spoken Arabic. In Iraqi and Khuzestani Arabic, /fard/ is an indefinite article that possesses a wide range of applications and only a limited set of constraints. Its use, however, remains optional to a very high degree. Its main function is that of a presentative—i.e., introducing a new referent into a discourse. In addition, it also functions as an individuation marker, as a marker for expressing the speaker’s epistemic status (knowledge/ignorance) regarding a referent, and indicating free choice from a set of potential referents. Related to this last function is its use as a mitigating device in imperatives and polite requests.

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