Maghribi colloquial Arabic

Teacher(s)

Adrioueche Ahmed (coordinator);

Language

Arab

Prerequisites

The LARAB1100 course: Modern Arabic Elementary Level I, or diploma/ training recognized as equivalent.
The learning outcomes of the LARAB1303 course help prepare the student for the advanced course in Modern Arabic (LARAB2500), as well as for the courses in Middle Arabic and Mixed Varieties of Arabic (LGLOR2721 - LGLOR2722).

Main themes

This is an intermediate course (UE) in colloquial Arabic in its Maghribi variety. It aims at the understanding and grammatical analysis of texts and oral expressions in Moroccan Arabic, on a variety of topics (cultural, literary, political, religious, pertaining to daily life). The basic training focuses on urban Moroccan Arabic, and the other varieties will be dealt with in a comparative framework.
The course covers the following aspects of learning the Arabic language:

• pronunciation drills aiming at authenticity;
• passive knowledge of unvocalized Arabic script as generally used for writing colloquial Arabic;
• passive knowledge of transcription systems used in scholarly literature for writing colloquial Arabic;
• acquisition of a basic vocabulary, characteristic of modern daily life in its multiple aspects.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

By the end of the course, the student should be able: to master the basic grammar of Maghribi colloquial Arabic to use an enlarged basic vocabulary in Maghribi colloquial Arabic, with a focus on modern daily life to find relatively complex Arabic words in a specialised Arabic-French (or Arabic-English) dictionary to prepare and to use relatively complex oral messages pertaining to daily life, and to recognize the structure of such messages to use the cognitive strategies needed to independently understand complex texts and expressions in Maghribi colloquial Arabic.

Content

This is an intermediate course in colloquial Arabic in its Maghribi variety.
It emphasizes the acquisition of immediately applicable substantial basic vocabulary, 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.
Note: The Arabic dialects have a range of characteristics that make their acquisition notoriously hard for French-speaking beginners. They have a set of consonants unknown to us, a distinct right-to-left script, and a complex grammar. Additionally, Arabic vocabulary shares few elements with French or other languages usually known to students. Thus, it is difficult to apply the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages to the acquisition of Arabic dialects.

Teaching methods

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

Evaluation methods

1. Continuous assessment of quality of participation in class.
2. Oral exam on the course materials at the end of the academic year.

Other information

While French is the language of instruction, Arabic will be used to a certain extent, particularly for conversation drills.

Online resources

> http://moodleucl.uclouvain.be/login/index.php

Bibliography

• Textes imprimés, textes en photocopies, documents présentés sous forme numérique, support sonore.
• Inscription obligatoire sur Moodle.

Faculty or entity

ILV