I libri di Ca’ Foscari

Series | I libri di Ca’ Foscari
Review | 150 Years of Oriental Studies at Ca’ Foscari
Chapter | The Importance of Being Diglottic

The Importance of Being Diglottic

Colloquial Arabic Teaching at Ca’ Foscari

Abstract

Since the ’70s Ca’ Foscari teachers have been facing the challenge of diglossia that typifies the Arab world where the oral use of Standard Arabic is reserved to specific situations, while colloquial varieties of the same language are used for ordinary conversations. Thus, learning Colloquial Arabic is a paramount need to communicate with native Arabic speakers. Moreover, diglottic proficiency is necessary to access several contemporary cultural outputs of the Arab world. This article describes the features of Arabic diglossia and instructional approaches meant to cope with the phenomenon. It then offers a brief account of Colloquial Arabic teaching at Ca’ Foscari, which has been a European vanguard in the field.


Open access

Published Oct. 21, 2018 | Language: en

Keywords Ca’ FoscariColloquial ArabicLearning needsTeaching approachesDiglossia


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