The future of Arabic teaching in British universities

1. The future of Arabic teaching in British universities James Dickins University of Leeds Sept. 2, 2010

2. 1. Arabic teaching up to c.1968 • Elite subject: • Cambridge: since 1632 • Edinburgh: since1750 • Classical language • Began in Cambridge as adjunct to theology • Subsequently adjunct to Greek and Latin • Grammar-translation method • Modern literary Arabic (Cowan 1958) • A new Arabic grammar of the written language (Haywood and Nahmad 1962)

3. 2. Standard Arabic teaching: c.1968-1995 • Some broadening beyond elite universities: • Cambridge, Oxford, SOAS, Exeter, Manchester, Leeds, Durham, Edinburgh, St. Andrews • But also: Heriot-Watt, Salford • Standard Arabic as a classical and modern language • Introduction of modern Arabic elements at various universities • From 1970s, Leeds focuses on Modern Standard Arabic • Elementary Modern Standard Arabic (Abboudet al. 1968) • communicative approach (within formal grammatical framework) • use of taped materials, presenting Arabic as explicitly spoken language • now unfashionable audio-lingual method

4. 3. Colloquial Arabic teaching to c.1995 • No significant presence in British universities • Colonial period • Sudan as an example: • Sudanese grammar (Worsely 1925) • Sudan Arabic: An English-Arabic vocabulary (Hillelson 1930) • Sudan Arabic texts (Hillelson 1935) • Sudanese Colloquial Arabic (Trimingham 1946) • 1960s-1970s: Georgetown grammars and dictionaries • A short reference grammar of Moroccan Arabic (Harrell 1962) • A dictionary of Syrian Arabic: English-Arabic (Stowassser 1964) • A reference grammar of Egyptian Arabic (Abdel-Massih et al. 1979) • Post-Georgetown • Lots!

5. 4. Arabic teaching since c.1995 (2000): 1 • Student numbers • 1990s: slight fall • Since 2000: massive increase (2000-2003: 50%) • Student composition • Experienced language learners • Interest in Islam / the Middle East • Interest in Arabic (e.g. time spent in Arab world) • Students of Arab background. • Students of non-Arab Islamic backgrounds • Broadening of universities • E.g. UCLAN launched full Arabic degree in 2009

6. 5. Arabic teaching since c.1995 (2000): 2 • Broadening of curriculum to include Colloquial Arabic • Communicative approach to Standard Arabic: al-Kitaab fi ta‘allum al-‘arabiyya (al-Batal et al. 1995; 2nd edn. 2004) • audio materials • video materials • computer materials • Cf. also: • Mastering Arabic (Wightwick and Gaafar, 1990; 2nd edn. 2007) • audio materials • Standard Arabic: an advanced course (Dickins and Watson 1999) • audio materials (but otherwise more traditional)

7. 6. Integration of Standard and Colloquial Arabic • Teach Standard and Colloquial separately • most universities, with Colloquial typically introduced after students have begun to learn Standard Arabic • Teach Standard and Colloquial in tandem, but for different domains • University of Cambridge • Centre for Advanced Study of Arab World (CASAW: Edinburgh) • Standard Arabic used for written-based activities, and Colloquial for spoken-based activities including talk about texts written in Standard Arabic. • Teach Standard and Colloquial mixed together • Typically through the use of a version of Arabic considered to be the language of highly educated people in formal spoken situations (e.g Formal spoken Arabic; Ryding 1990)

8. 7. Demand for Arabic • Students • Experienced language learners • Interest in Islam / the Middle East • Interest in Arabic (e.g. time spent in Arab world) • Students of Arab background. • Students of non-Arab Islamic backgrounds • Employers • Non-government: • Commercial (needing translation, etc.) • NHS, law (needing interpreters, etc.) • Arab press (esp. London-based) • Cultural organisations • Human rights organisations • Government: • Foreign Office • GCHQ • Military

9. 8. New types of learners • Speakers of Arabic at home • E.g. second generation British Arabs • School learners of Arabic • In 2005: • 2,183 people took GCSE Arabic (up 63% from 2001) • 429 people took A-Level Arabic (up 64% from 2002) • People with specialist interests • E.g. religious Classical Arabic

10. 9. New technology: computers and the internet • Edinburgh/CASAW e-learning project (Mourad Diouri) • Open University • Blended learning introductory Arabic project (2007): funding not currently available

11. 10. Summary and prospects: 1 • Different types of degree courses: • full BAs • joint honours BAs • Minor element of BAs • UWLP/IWLP modules • Postgraduate (MA, etc.) courses • New types of degree programmes • Arabic-intensive • Translation • Interpreting • Specialist interests • Colloquial Arabic focus • Classical Arabic (e.g. religious Arabic)

12. 11. Summary and prospects: 2 • New types of funding: • Specialist institution funding: CASAW • Direct government bursaries? • New types of institution • elite universities • non-elite universities • Open University • New types of student • native/near-native speakers of Arabic • no previous language-learning experience • New teaching techniques • blended learning

13. Thank you very much!