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EnglishThis paper highlights the need for a critical understanding of the concept of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as it is used in textbooks and curricula of Arabic as a foreign language in Western universities. Despite the lack of a widely agreed-upon definition of Modern Standard Arabic, in the teaching practice MSA is portrayed as a unified, written and spoken variety. This contribution shows that MSA presents itself as a tool deriving from a defensive Arab stance which refuses the Western ‘orientalist’ characterization of Arabic as a fragmented language. The concept of proficiency underlying MSA-based educational materials and teaching practices appears to us to be the manifestation of a new ideology which results from an Arab-Western collaboration, i.e. a ‘neo-orientalist’ approach. We argue that by considering diglossia as a cultural artifice of Western colonialism, MSA-centered teaching practices efface the complex sociolinguistic landscape of contemporary Arabic communication. This contribution urges the adoption of educational practices based on a more realistic representation of contemporary Arabic and its complexity.
Modern Standard Arabic and the Teaching of Arabic as a Foreign Language. Some Cultural and Linguistic Considerations, 2016.
| Autori: | GIOLFO, MANUELA ELISA; Sinatora, F. |
| Data di pubblicazione: | 2016 |
| Titolo: | Modern Standard Arabic and the Teaching of Arabic as a Foreign Language. Some Cultural and Linguistic Considerations |
| Luogo di pubblicazione: | ITA |
| Editore: | Dipartimento di Lingue e Culture Moderne, Università degli Studi di Genova |
| Titolo del libro: | Quaderni di Palazzo Serra 29 |
| ISBN: | 9788888626659 |
| Pagina iniziale: | 263 |
| Pagina finale: | 288 |
| Lingua: | English |
| Settore Scientifico Disciplinare: | Settore L-OR/12 - Lingua e Letteratura Araba |
| Abstract: | This paper highlights the need for a critical understanding of the concept of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as it is used in textbooks and curricula of Arabic as a foreign language in Western universities. Despite the lack of a widely agreed-upon definition of Modern Standard Arabic, in the teaching practice MSA is portrayed as a unified, written and spoken variety. This contribution shows that MSA presents itself as a tool deriving from a defensive Arab stance which refuses the Western ‘orientalist’ characterization of Arabic as a fragmented language. The concept of proficiency underlying MSA-based educational materials and teaching practices appears to us to be the manifestation of a new ideology which results from an Arab-Western collaboration, i.e. a ‘neo-orientalist’ approach. We argue that by considering diglossia as a cultural artifice of Western colonialism, MSA-centered teaching practices efface the complex sociolinguistic landscape of contemporary Arabic communication. This contribution urges the adoption of educational practices based on a more realistic representation of contemporary Arabic and its complexity. |
| Numero degli autori: | 2 |
| Supporto: | Online |
| Appare nelle tipologie: | 2.01 Contributo in volume (Capitolo o Saggio) |
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