Atiqa Hachimi
Department of African and Asian Languages and Literatures
Language and Society in the Arab World
“Language and Society in the Arab World” is an introductory survey of Arabic sociolinguistics. The course examines the Arabic language in its historical, geographical, socio-cultural and political context. Using the theories and methods of sociolinguistics, the course is designed to give students a broad understanding of the interaction between language, society and identity in the Arabic-speaking world--a wide geographical area that stretches from the Middle East to North Africa.
In this course students will have the opportunity to explore the historical development of Arabic linguistic varieties (i.e., Classical Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic and the various spoken dialects) as well as their functions and social meanings in contemporary Arab societies. Readings will be drawn from sociolinguistic case studies which analyze linguistic variation across regional, religious and sectarian lines as well as across class, gender and education in different Arabic-speaking societies. Apart from the intrinsic importance of examination of language variation and standardization in the Arab world, the course will address, in a larger sense, the transnational/global issue of common languages that transcend national borders i.e., the adoption of standard languages, the emergence of regional varieties, and the links to nationalism. Other topics include postcolonial language policies particularly in the multilingual Maghreb and Lebanon, linguistic rights of ethnic minorities such as the Kurds in Iraq and the Berbers in North Africa and the pivotal role of the Arabic language in discourses of the resurgence of Islamic orthodoxy.
The course is intended to be a requirement for the Arabic major and minor, and as such it will be offered at least once every academic year. It will be cross-listed with African Studies and Linguistics. The award will be used to acquire rich and engaging teaching materials and will also help fund a trip to Morocco in summer 2007 to support both library and field research.