Classical Arabic I A

Consultation of the server iCampus enables the student to obtain information about this course.

- For level I.1, LARAB1100 (Modern Arabic, elementary, taught at the Institut des Langues Vivantes).
- For level I.2, LGLOR1662 (level I.1).

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

An introduction to the ancient and literary Arabic, which is the language of the Koran and of all great works of classical Arabic literature.

Alternately with LGLOR1662, this course is given to two distinct groups of students according to their level.

For level I.1 (beginners), the course focuses on reading and writing, and enables students to acquire a basic vocabulary, as well as some familiarity with a first part of the Arabic grammar, especially the nominal morphology.
For level I.2, the course enables students to acquire a more sophisticated vocabulary, as well as some familiarity with a second part of the Arabic grammar, especially the verbal morphology and the syntax. It also leads them to the reading of short original texts of Arabic literature.

The exercises (15h, 3 credits) in addition to the lectures consist of translating a series of texts in Classical Arabic, in order to strenghthen the students' grasp of the grammar and their basic vocabulary.

Students attending this course during their preparatory year to the Master in Ancient Languages and Literatures (Oriental Languages) will receive specific guidelines enabling them to get in one year the necessary skills as required by the end of the two levels.

At the end of this course, which implies following the course LGLOR1662, the student will be capable to read, transliterate and translate short texts at a basic or medium level of difficulty. To achieve this goal, he will master the alphabet, the reading and writing of Arabic. He will acquire a basic vocabulary of some importance and get familiar with the main mechanisms and structures of the language (morphology and syntax).

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Final marks are given on the basis of an oral exam (matters dealt with during the course) and a continuous appreciation of the active participation in the course. For the level I.1, the written evaluation test counts for 25% of the final marks.

Although this course consists of formal lectures, there is nevertheless room for discussions. Each lecture starts systematically with an exchange of views on the subjects dealt with previously. For level 1.1 , there is a written test  half-way through the course to verify the students' progress.

The course is an introduction to the study of ancient written literary Arabic, that of the Koran and of all the great texts of classical  Arabic literature. Emphasis is placed on the gradual acquisition of immediately useful vocabulary as well as the principal mechanisms of the Arabic language through its morphology and syntax. The whole apprenticeship will allow the student to manage to read his first complete  texts of a certain length.

A short bibliography (dictionaries, grammars and manuals) will be handed out at the beginning of the course.

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