scholarly journals HIGH VARIETY VS LOW VARIETY CULTURE IN THE ARABIC LANGUAGE : THE TENSIONS BETWEEN FUSHÂ AND ‘ÂMIYYA IN THE CONTEMPORARY ARAB WORLD

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Yoyo Yoyo ◽  
Abdul Mukhlis ◽  
Thonthowi Thonthowi ◽  
Ferawati Ferawati
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Official Language ◽  
Religious Literature ◽  
Political Events ◽  
Arab People

Arabic language, in its sociological context is divided into two varieties: fusha and ‘amiyya. Arabic fusha is the official language and perceived as the language of Islam. In contrast to the fusha, ‘amiyya is the language used by the Arab people in their daily conversations. However, this ‘amiyya is considered as inferior. The method used in this study was qualitative that stressed the interaction between language and its sociological context. The method assumed that social and political events affected language use in a particular society. The paper tries to re-popularize the two terms used by Ferguson that are "high variety" (H) and “low variety” (L) culture in analyzing the two languages varieties. Besides, the paper explores the tension of the two languages through contemporary social and political events taking place in the Arab World. The Arabic fusha is perceived as a representation of “H” culture because it is a language used in religious literature and official writings, while the ‘amiyya referred to as a representation of “L” variety culture because it is used only as a medium of regular communication.

scholarly journals Diglossia

Pragmatics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-216
Author(s):  
Helge Daniëls
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Speech Community ◽  
Lexical Items ◽  
Ideological Attitudes

Abstract Diglossia is, as far as the Arabic language is concerned, a concept that has been taken for granted, as much as it has been criticized. First, based on Ferguson’s article on diglossia and subsequent interpretations and ramifications of the concept and with a special focus on how language variability is discursively deployed and how it is perceived in the Arab speech community, I will argue that diglossia does not so much describe actual language use, but rather how language variability is ‘read’ in the Arab world. In the second part of the article, an analysis of labeling in a 19th century debate will show how the dichotomy between fuṣḥā and non-fuṣḥā varieties (ʿāmmīya),1 which is the basis of diglossia, was already taken for granted long before the concept and the term existed, and even before fuṣḥā and ʿāmmīya were used as independent lexical items. The analysis in both parts of the article shows how much diglossia is taken for granted by most native speakers of Arabic, even if it defies linguistic descriptions of actual language use. It is exactly this ‘common-sense-ness’ that suggests that diglossia is a useful tool to describe language ideological attitudes.

scholarly journals Geschlechtergerechte Sprache im Arabischen. Skizzierung des Forschungsstands und Fallanalyse arabischer Übersetzungen bayerischer Behördentexte.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lisa Schor
Keyword(s):  
Gender Bias ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Inclusive Language ◽  
Geschlechtergerechte Sprache ◽  
State Of Research ◽  
And Gender

Während sich geschlechtergerechter Sprachgebrauch im deutschen Sprachraum bereits mehr oder weniger etabliert hat, steckt die Forschung zur sprachlichen Gleichbehandlung in der arabischen Welt noch in den Kinderschuhen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird zunächst der aktuelle Forschungsstand rund um Gender Bias und geschlechtergerechte Sprache im Arabischen skizziert. Im Anschluss folgt eine Einzelfallstudie, in der 15 Behördentexte bayerischer Staatsministerien und deren arabische Übersetzungen einer qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse unterzogen werden. Anhand eines eigens erstellten Kategoriensystems wird analysiert, welche Strategien derzeit bei der Übersetzung geschlechtergerechter Formulierungen ins Arabische angewandt werden. Aus der Skizzierung des Forschungs-stands geht hervor, dass die arabische Sprache sowohl auf formaler als auch auf soziolinguistischer Ebene viele androzentrische Elemente enthält. Verschiedene Möglichkeiten für einen geschlechtergerechten Sprachgebrauch werden dargestellt. Es wird ersichtlich, dass in der arabischen Welt eine zunehmende Sensibilisierung für sprachliche Gleichbehandlung zu beobachten ist. Die Einzelfallstudie zeigt, dass geschlechtergerechte Formulierungen bei der Übersetzung ins Arabische bevorzugt ins generische Maskulinum übertragen werden. Gelegentlich finden sich zwar auch Beidnennungen, diese sind jedoch als wörtliche Übersetzung der Ausgangsformulierungen zu interpretieren. Die Intention der Ausgangstexte für sprachliche Gleichbehandlung spiegelt sich in den arabischen Übersetzungen nicht wider, daher wird geschlussfolgert, dass den Übersetzenden das Konzept geschlechtergerechter Sprache nicht hinreichend bekannt ist. While gender-inclusive language use is already more or less established in the German-speaking society, research on linguistic equality in the Arab world is still in its early days. This paper first outlines the current state of research on gender bias and gender-inclusive language in Arabic. It is then followed by a case study in which 15 official texts of Bavarian state ministries and their Arabic translations are subjected to a qualitative content analysis. Through a system of categorization, the study analyzes which strategies are currently used in translating gender-inclusive phrases into Arabic. From the outline of the state of research, it is clear that the Arabic language contains many androcentric elements, both on a formal and sociolinguistic level. Various possibilities for gender-inclusive language use are presented. It becomes apparent that there is an increasing awareness of linguistic equality in the Arab world. The case study shows that gender-inclusive phrases are preferably transferred to the generic masculine when translated into Arabic. Occasionally, pairing is also found, however it is to be interpreted as a literal translation of the source material. The intention of the source texts for linguistic equality is not reflected in the Arabic translations. Thus, it is concluded that the translators are not sufficiently familiar with the concept of gender-inclusive language.

scholarly journals “Service Programmes” on Jordanian Radio: Understanding Broadcaster Persona through an Interdisciplinary Analysis of Language and Performance

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jona Fras
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Water Pipe ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Radio Stations ◽  
The Public ◽  
Doctoral Research ◽  
And Performance

My ESRC-funded doctoral research explores linguistic practice on Jordanian radio today. The main conclusion of my research is that details of Arabic use in the radio setting have significant implications for the kind of audiences addressed – that is, who is included as a legitimate or “validated” listener – and the way members of the public can participate in radio discourse – this latter in particularly through call- ins, which are a frequent feature of Jordanian radio programming more generally.This paper looks at one type of programmes present on many contemporary Jordanian radio stations: the so-called “service programmes,” "barāmiž ḳadamātiyya," in which listeners call the station and speak live on the air in order to request assistance or mediation with local authorities in resolution of an issue – such as a damaged road, a broken water pipe, et cetera. It compares two popular service programmes: Barnāmiž al-wakīl, hosted by Muhammad al-Wakeel, and Wasaṭ al- balad, hosted by Hani al-Badri. It argues that, in order to properly appreciate the differences between the two programmes, an interdisciplinary approach to the data is required. This has raised certain methodological issues for my work, but on the other hand allowed me to explore new theoretical pathways and contribute new insights to scholarship on both contemporary Arabic language use, and Middle Eastern media.

scholarly journals التعريب وأثره في تعليم اللغة العربية لغير الناطقين بها

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Zaenuri
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
New Words ◽  
Arabic Linguistics

AbstractThis paper aims to explain ta’rib which is a term from Arabic linguistics. In addition, this paper will also explain how the implications of learning about learning Arabic for non-Arabic learners. Ta'rib is the absorption of new words and terms from non-Arabic languages to Arabic by changing their pronunciation to follow patterns and rules in Arabic. Ta'rib can be done in two ways, first forming a new term to replace foreign terms, the two using foreign languages with Arabic patterns that are in accordance with the stipulated conditions. The implication ta’rib of learning Arabic for learners from outside the Arab world includes 1) giving mufradatfusha before the mufradat ‘amiyyah; 2) emphasize students to use Arabic fusha; 3) emphasize students to look for a translation in the dictionary before absorbing it directly; 4) introducing examples of foreign vocabulary that do not have equivalents in Arabic; 5) explain the provisions that apply to the owner ta’rib before Arabic language learning takes place; 6) emphasizes on students to pay attention to the rules of writing Latin letters that do not have equivalents in Arabic.

scholarly journals The Role of Subtitling and Dubbing in Arabic Vocabulary Acquisition: A Contrastive Study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asil Qasim ◽  
Rashid Yahiaoui
Keyword(s):  
Vocabulary Acquisition ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Memory Retention ◽  
Intermediate Students ◽  
Language Class ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Audiovisual Translation

The critical comparison of subtitling and dubbing has long been a subject of discussion by many researchers in the field of Audiovisual Translation. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study to investigate the role of subtitling and dubbing in vocabulary acquisition has been carried out in the Arab world. The aim of the present study is to measure the effect of Audiovisual Translation modalities, mainly subtitling and dubbing, in the acquisition of Arabic vocabulary in an Arabic as a foreign language class (AFL) carried out at Sultan Qaboos College for Teaching Arabic For Non-Native Speakers. In order to do this a couple of questions needed answers 1) Which modality (subtitling and/or dubbing) is more conducive to vocabulary acquisition in the Arabic language? And 2) Which modality is more efficient in the long-term memory retention of Arabic vocabulary? Thirty upper intermediate students participated in this case study, which involved them watching a four-minute clip of the American TV series Designated Survivor in three versions: (a) subtitled into Arabic, (b) dubbed into Arabic, and (c) dubbed and subtitled in Arabic. The results showed that all groups were able to acquire and retain second language (L2) vocabulary; however, the dubbing group achieved higher results in both the immediate post-test and the delayed post-test.

Pre-Islamic ‘Arabless-ness’: Arabian Identities

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Webb
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Historical Records ◽  
Communal Identity ◽  
The Senses ◽  
Early Islamic ◽  
Origin Point

Developing Chapter 1’s findings on pre-Islamic Arabian society, this chapter proposes a new origin point for Arab communal consciousness. Chapter 2 seeks the first groups of people who called themselves ‘Arabs’ and explores how those people can be identified from historical records. We begin by appraising the evidence about Arabic language: when and where did it evolve and to what extent does Arabic-language use delineate Arab communal identity? We evaluate the surprising paucity of pre-Islamic Arabic records, and next turn to pre-Islamic poetry to examine its citation of the word ‘Arab’ alongside the senses of community the poets articulate. Pre-Islamic poetic reference to ‘Arabs’ is also almost non-existent, whereas alternative forms of communal identity are clearly expressed, in particular, a people known as Maʿadd. Marshalling theories of ethnogenesis to interpret the evidence, this chapter sheds new light on pre-Islamic Arabia’s fragmented communal boundaries. Chapter 2 closes with early Islamic-era poetry where poets first begin to call themselves ‘Arabs’, suggesting that Arab ethnogenesis was a result, not a cause of the rise of Islam.

Can Digital Technologies Threaten Democracy by Creating Information Cocoons?

2014 ◽  
pp. 145-154
Author(s):  
Cédric Gossart
Keyword(s):  
Bounded Rationality ◽  
Cognitive Dissonance ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Political Arena ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Political Events ◽  
Main Factor ◽  
Do So

This chapter examines the extent to which digital technologies can threaten democracy by creating “information cocoons,” within which information is filtered and tailored to our tastes and prevailing opinions. Digital technologies allow us to filter information and contacts in a very efficient way, thereby creating a risk that we end up exchanging information only with like-minded people. Since humans' bounded rationality cannot cope with the amount of information available on the Internet, we are confronted with problems of cognitive dissonance that we attempt to solve by ignoring opinions and arguments that differ too much from our own. Recent political events in the Arab world suggest that digital technologies support democratisation. But there is also a risk that these technologies might impoverish democratic debates and reduce exchanges amongst the stakeholders of a given political arena while radicalising their points of views. This threat is serious and needs to be investigated. To do so, this chapter suggests a methodology to evaluate that risk, as well as ways to mitigate it. Various methods have been used to analyse the polarisation of opinions in human societies, such as the ones analysing the traces left by Internet users in blogs or hypertext links. The authors provide a review of these methods after having explained the main factor conducive to the creation of information closure.

Huroufiyah

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nada Shabout
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
The Political ◽  
Artistic Identity ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Modern Age ◽  
Arabic Script ◽  
19Th And 20Th Century ◽  
Islamic Civilization

The perception of the Arabic letter in art has gone through many changes from the Islamic civilization to the modern age. Following the political and socio-cultural changes of the 19th and 20th century, the Arabic script lost its sacredness. After decades of limited existence in traditional craft, the Arabic letter reappeared in modern Arab art around the middle of the 20th century on nationalistic bases. The Arabic language had acquired a high value during the age of colonialism as a symbol of national identity, a unifier; this value only grew stronger with time. The letter was also a signifier that aided twentieth-century Arab artists in their artistic identity crisis. A number of art groups—such as the Baghdad Group of Modern Art, formed in 1951—were established with their focus on a search for a local or national art style through ‘istilham al-turath,’ seeking inspiration from tradition. The Arabic letter became the means for connecting artists’ present with their past and allowing for the invention of tradition. Huroufiyah (Arabic for Letterism), a highly contested term initiated by a newspaper journalist, became a term popularly used to signify all experiments with the Arabic letter in the modern Arab art. Nevertheless, the term is surrounded by controversy in the contemporary Arab world and rejected by a number of scholars and artists. The term al-Madrassa al-Khattiya Fil-Fann (Calligraphic School of Art), has been alternatively proposed, expressing specifically a perceived continuation with Islamic calligraphy.

Arabic Language Instruction

1971 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter F. Abboud
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
Arab World ◽  
The United States ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
World War ◽  
Global Power ◽  
Political Interests ◽  
The U.S

The last fifteen years have witnessed rapid growth in the number of students studying Arabic and of programs concerned with the teaching of the language. This is directly attributable to the awakened interest in the United States in the Middle East in general, and the Arab world in particular, as a result of the entry of the U.S. in World War II and its emergence as a global power with strategic, economical, and political interests in the area. This is not to say that the teaching of Arabic is a new phenomenon in the U.S. As an indespensible tool of Orientalistic scholarship, Arabic was taught for many years in a few institutions which offered programs in Oriental and Semitic Studies.

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