Grammar of contemporary spoken Arabic

Basing itself on empirical exploration of regional and social variations of contemporary spoken Arabic in terms of mixed forms, regional varieties and Fuṣḥā, the present chapter examines what grammar of contemporary Arabic is to non-native speakers in the context of teaching Arabic for communication. It discusses models of Arabic language description and how far these are from the reality of speaking Arabic today. It highlights the role of each of the regional variety and Fuṣḥā in the description of contemporary spoken Arabic. Issues discussed include the role of grammar in the educational frame (CEFR), and regional versus Fuṣḥā features of contemporary spoken Arabic across various proficiency levels. It also clarifies the fact that adopting a functional communicative approach to the teaching and learning of Arabic should be based on the view that regional varieties of Arabic and Fuṣḥā constitute a communicative resource of interrelated systems, with different types of grammatical resources, on which users of Arabic draw to create meaning within a context. The chapter concludes with addressing general principles in selecting grammar features to be taught in a curriculum oriented towards developing speaking skills to enable learners of Arabic to communicate functionally.