Module ARAB3061: ARABIC LINGUISTICS AND DIALECTOLOGY

Department: Modern Language and Cultures (Arabic)

ARAB3061: ARABIC LINGUISTICS AND DIALECTOLOGY

Prerequisites

• Arabic Language 2B (ARAB2002) or an equivalent qualification to the satisfaction of the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

Corequisites

• Arabic Language 4B (ARAB3012) or Arabic Language 4B following Year Abroad (ARAB3022).

Excluded Combination of Modules

• Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (ARAB2021); Persian I (ARAB2041)

Aims

• This module aims to introduce students to the linguistic structure of Arabic, including sounds (phonetics and phonology), word and sentence structure (morphology and syntax), lexis (lexicology and terminology), semantics, and dialectal and sociolinguistic variation (structural and geographical approaches to linguistic change, including the phenomenon of diglossia). It provides a systematic diachronic and synchronic analysis of the linguistics of Arabic, based on original materials and texts.

Content

• The following areas will be discussed in the course of the module:
• The historical development of the Arabic language (from the Classical 'Arabiyya to its modern avatars), with reliance on relevant original sources;
• The nature of language (meaning, main components, function);
• Prescriptive vs descriptive linguistics;
• The Phonology and Phonetics of Arabic, in which the sound inventory of the language is examined from an articulatory point of view (place/manner of articulation) against general phonetic and phonological concepts such as phonemes/allophones, minimal pairs, free variation/complementary distribution, assimilation, voicing, primary/secondary articulation, secondary articulation (pharyngealization, palatalization), deletion/insertion, consonant cluster reduction and segmental/suprasegmental phonology. This section will also include a detailed analysis of the views on the subject by the Arab grammarians (e.g. Sibawayh, Khalil, Ibn Jinni);
• The Morphology of Arabic, involving a detailed analysis of the morphological structure of the language within a framework of inflectional morphology and lexical/derivational morphology;
• Terminology: a discussion of the various problems attendant upon the creation of new terminology in Modern Arabic and the implications on the development of the lexical structure and inventory of the language;
• Semantics: the nature and definition of meaning, including the concepts of meaning relationships, polysemy, antonymy, complementarity, gradability, homonymy, hyponymy, meronymy/holonymy;
• The Syntax of Arabic, which will focus on word order and the analysis of key phrase structure rules;
• Dialectology and Sociolinguistics: analysis of the main dialectological issues relating to Arabic, such as universal (cross-dialectal) feature analysis, diglossia/multiglossia.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will acquire a working knowledge of the following:
• the development of Arabic throughout history;
• the processes underlying language, in general, and Arabic linguistics, in particular;
• the phonology of Arabic;
• the morphological structure and processes of Arabic;
• the various possible syntactic structures in Arabic;
• the dialectological and sociolinguistic variation in the contemporary Arabic speech linguistic community, including the phenomenon of diglossia;
• the basic references, including electronic source materials, of use in the study of Arabic linguistics;
• polysemy and homonymy in Arabic;
• the lexicological and terminological issues attendant upon Modern Arabic.

• Students will acquire the ability:
• to deal with various texts in the field of Arabic linguistics;
• to locate, access and exploit relevant sources;
• effectively to source-language content-specific structures into the appropriate target-language register;
• to translate of technical and business documents in a wide variety of domains;
• to engage in the independent translation of a wide variety of business-related and technical texts;
• to produce a clearly written and fluent translation of an L2 source text into L1 (English) in the appropriate register;
• Students will enhance their ability of translation and writing skills in L1 (English).

• The effective use of primary and secondary resources relevant to the field of Arabic linguistics.
• Extended development of general written communication skills.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The module is taught in the form of weekly one-hour lectures, with fortnightly tutorials.
• The module runs throughout Michaelmas and Epiphany Terms.
• The module is assessed by means of two essays, of 2,500 words each, on a topic related to Arabic linguistics. The first essay is to be submitted at the beginning of Epiphany Term, the second at the start of Easter Term.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

None.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University