Modern Arabic: intermediate level

Teacher(s)

Makhoul Manhal (coordinator);

Language

French

Content

This is an intermediate course of Standard Arabic in its modern variety, which is the language of the media and all official communication all over the Arab world today.
It emphasizes acquisition of immediately applicable an enlarged vocabulary in Standard Arabic, as well as the main mechanisms of the language, through the study of morphology and syntax.
This entire process should result in a proficiency level that compares to levels A2 (for the active aspects) and B1 (for passive aspects) of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Its learning outcomes help prepare the student for the courses advanced arabic, and are most useful for attending any course on themes related to the Arab and Muslim world.
Note: The Arabic language has a range of characteristics that make its acquisition notoriously hard for French-speaking beginners. It has a set of consonants unknown to us, a distinct right-to-left script, and a complex grammar with declensions, with stronger gender marking than in French, and with a system of number distinction that goes beyond our mere distinction between singular and plural. Additionally, Arabic vocabulary shares few elements with French or other languages usually known to students. Thus, it is difficult, at least with respect to the first year, to apply the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages to the Arabic language acquisition.

Teaching methods

This course includes classroom instruction sustained by the iCampus virtual teaching environment. It requires active involvement, with written exercises to be prepared for each class, as well as both written and oral exercises carried out in class.

Evaluation methods

• Indicative continuous assessment based on systematic questioning in class
• Combined individual exam (oral and written), after the end of the course

Online resources

• http://www.laits.utexas.edu/aswaat/
• https://moodle.uclouvain.be
  Cours Moodle LARAB1301

Bibliography

Textes imprimés, textes en photocopies, documents présentés sous forme numérique, support sonore. Inscription obligatoire sur iCampus.
Manuels de référence :

• Manuel de référence : Ayyuha t-Talib (en pdf sur moodle avec les enregistrements)
• Maurice Borrmans, Grammaire arabe, Rome : Institut Pontifical d'Etudes Arabes et d'Islamologie, 1997.
• Luc-Willy Deheuvels, Manuel d'arabe moderne, volume 1, Paris : Langues et mondes/ L'Asiathèque, 2011 (ISBN 978-90-441-2185-8).
• Luc-Willy Deheuvels, Manuel d'arabe moderne, volume 2, Paris : Langues et mondes/ L'Asiathèque, 2011 (ISBN 978-2-912555-79-9).

Teaching materials

• Le livre "Ayyuha t-Talib"

Faculty or entity

ILV