ARABIC DIGLOSSIA: TEACHING ONLY THE STANDARD VARIETY IS A DISSERVICE TO STUDENTS
Abstract
Results from a recent survey show that students learning Arabic in the United States want to learn spoken varieties, despite a lack of support from their teachers. Spoken Arabic is often stigmatized as a less prestigious variety of Arabic, even though it is the language of choice for day-to-day communication for native Arabic speakers. Knowledge of a spoken variety of Arabic is essential for students who hope to integrate into the general populace in the Arabic-speaking world. This paper argues that Arabic programs throughout the United States should integrate the teaching of Spoken Arabic into their curricula to accommodate student wants and needs.
How to Cite
Palmer, J., (2007) “ARABIC DIGLOSSIA: TEACHING ONLY THE STANDARD VARIETY IS A DISSERVICE TO STUDENTS”, Journal of Second Language Acquisition and Teaching 14, 111-122.
1192
Views
2327
Downloads