Studying Arabic in the Arab world

[Khamal]

Assalamu alaykum

I too, alhamdulillah, have a deep interest in the Arabic sciences, especially nahw, and like to study and compare different approaches to nahw.

Wa iyyakum

Though my own Arabic linguistic training is more in line with the Arab tradition, I've always had the highest respect for the Indo-Pak and Turkish traditions as well as the Persian tradition.

Brother Amr, could you please tell us what are the different traditions (what books are studied in the different traditions)?

Jazakumullah

Wassalam

[Hamood]

I apologize for changing the subject. I just wanted the brother to know a little bit about your background and that you are an experienced Arabic grammar teacher. But ok, back to Hidayat an Nahw. Actually, after Ramadan I will begin studying it myself. I pray I'm successful in mastering it.

assalamu 'alaykum ---

To Br. Abdul Razak,

Thanks for the info. I had no clue initially although after reading his posts above, I kinda' had a feeling. Thanks again for sharing the link. I found the biography inspiring.

To Ustadh Amr,

Do you know of any Arabic language institutes in Dubai? I know there is one near where you are, called the 'Mother Tongue Institute' but that's too far from Dubai as far as a daily commute is concerned. Someone in my family (who lives in Dubai) is interested in knowing. Any advice in relation to learning Arabic in the UAE (specifically Dubai) would be very helpful. Jazak Allah khayr.

[Amr]

assalamu 'alaykum ---

Do you know of any Arabic language institutes in Dubai? I know there is one near where you are, called the 'Mother Tongue Institute' but that's too far from Dubai as far as a daily commute is concerned. Someone in my family (who lives in Dubai) is interested in knowing. Any advice in relation to learning Arabic in the UAE (specifically Dubai) would be very helpful. Jazak Allah khayr.

Wa 'alaykum as-salamu warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

Subhanallah! I was just going to ask you that very same question. Someone contacted me to find out from me if there are any Arabic language institutes or teachers in Dubai that can offer Arabic courses roundabout the November / December time. So when I saw that you're currently located in Dubai and you have keen interest in Arabic I thought that I'll ask you. So that makes two of us. Just last night I asked someone about Arabic study opportunities in Dubai, and he mentioned something about a Fujairah Institute / Center or something like that. I'll confirm the name with him again today.

Yes, I know "Mother Tongue Institute" in downtown Abu Dhabi. It would have been great if they had a branch in Dubai. I know of an Iqra Institute here in Abu Dhabi that might be a little longer established than "Mother Tongue" such that they could have a branch in Dubai. I would guess that Sharjah would definitely have, but that is only a guess.

The "Mother Tongue Institute" - from what I hear - tends to be more inclined towards communicative Arabic or an immersion program. However, from what I've seen that a little bit of grammar does come in here and there. The way Arabic is taught for total beginners in the Arab world is quite an interesting topic. Their focus tends to be more communicative that grammar even though I've seen the opposite being preferred by certain teachers at the University of Damascus. Generally speaking what I've seen in the Arab world is that there is a lot of experimentation going on with respect to teaching Arabic to foreigners with one series replacing another e.g. al-'Arabiyyah lin-Nashi-in giving way to al-'Arabiyyah lil-Hayaah or the Silsalah program, or al-Kitab al-Asasi to al-Arabiyyah bayna yadayk, to mention the more popular ones. Qasid Institute in Jordan has devised their own program and course materials to meet the special and unique needs of students studying there. They used to teach the Silsalah but it was specific enough to the needs of the type of student that studies at Qasid so they replaced with course readers that were produced in-house. Then there is also the famous Madinah Shu'bah course with its own and completely different system altogether. The main part (Durus al-Lughah al-'Arabiyyah li Ghayr al-Natiqina biha) of the course, though, was produced by an Indian scholar who is himself familiar with the Indo-Pak tradition. I remember having asked him about the Traditional Indo-Pak system almost two decades ago, and his answer was quite interesting. He said something to this effect: that Arabic system focused a great deal on language use and ignoring the scales and forms of the verb and so on, and the Indo-Pak system focused a great deal on the scales and forms but not enough on language use. With his series he tried to bridge the gap between explicit grammar on the one hand and language use and communication on the other hand. I think that the Indo-Pak system has of late - if I not mistaken - remedied this problem with something like the "Arabi ka mu'allim" (if I got the name right), amongst other materials. So the emphasis appears not to be just on explicit Sarf and Nahw. Qasid Institute follows also a two prong approach with one prong targeting the students explicit grammar side and the other prong targeting the communication side. The one is more cognitive and the other more communicative i.e. communication about Arabic and communication in Arabic. The two streams run separately, and depending on how strong you are in each department, that is how you are placed according to level. So you might be in level one for communication (or skills) and level two / three for Arabic grammar, and vice versa, depending on how the two are balanced almost like a see-saw. The only difference being that it does not mean that the higher become in one the lower you become in the other. This wouldn't make sense. Rather when you start you might be equal in the two or the one higher than the other.

I would just like to mention that the Arab system tends to be more holistic, in that it covers all aspects of Arabic: reading, writing, listening, speaking, vocabulary and language use in different settings and situations, grammar, etc. These books are often better taught by Arabs themselves which is how they are taught. At Qasid Institute the communicative Arabic is taught by native Arabic speakers, and the explicit Arabic grammar by foreigners proficient in English, and very conversant with the Arabic theory. Later-on, though, the foreign teachers themselves switch over to Arabic, conducting the grammar lessons primarily in Arabic. What is interesting also is that even when it comes to the communicative side of things, native-Arabic teachers have realised the importance of some of the forms and scales, verb & noun conjugations, and the use of the Hans Wehr dictionary. This, I think, they benefitted from their Arabic grammar colleagues who in turn have benefitted from their native Arab colleagues to bring in an element of communication though not as focused as that of the Arabic communication department. Of late Qasid has also distinguished between Classical Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic, again showing a keen awareness of the needs of the specific students that come to study there.

Elsewhere in the Arab world there is not that type of balance. This, however, concerns mostly students who are starting out in their journey to learn Arabic. Those who already have a fairly good foundation won't have to worry about finding a place that will cater for your specific needs without throwing you into the deep end, because everything tends to be in Arabic. If you survive this ordeal, then you're well on your way. If not, you'll find yourself moving from one institute to another or one teacher to another. By now I would think that these institutes have become more sensitive to the respective needs of the foreign student, and try their best to cater for these needs. Some native Arabs have become very adept at teaching foreigners, and have developed a number of useful strategies in making the student eventually realise his / her goal. It is a great feeling to know after a certain period of time (which differs from student to student) that you can finally string words together and actually speak, and find your way around the neighbourhood and in town. This doesn't necessarily mean that your grammar will be strong. Often the student who speaks quite fluently his grammar is not particularly strong, and often the student who knows a lot of grammar feels too shy to speak, and fears making grammar mistakes. Then you have the student who shines out in both departments, which is the ideal situation.

I just thought that I'll take the opportunity to shed some light on how Arabic is taught in some of the Arabic language institutes and centers in the Arab world. This, however, is not the same as the Arabic grammatical tradition in the Arab world which is the question, I think, that Br. Khamal asked. That will require a separate post which will have to take into consideration how Arabic grammar is taught at Arabic and Islamic universities and Islamic institutes in the Arab world on the one hand, and private and public majalis (sittings and circles of knowledge) on the other hand. Here the experience of other members who spent some time in the Arab world will be very useful.

I apologise for the very long post.

[Hamood]

Wa 'alaykum as-salamu warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

Subhanallah! I was just going to ask you that very same question. Someone contacted me to find out from me if there are any Arabic language institutes or teachers in Dubai that can offer Arabic courses roundabout the November / December time. So when I saw that you're currently located in Dubai and you have keen interest in Arabic I thought that I'll ask you. So that makes two of us. Just last night I asked someone about Arabic study opportunities in Dubai, and he mentioned something about a Fujairah Institute / Center or something like that. I'll confirm the name with him again today.

Yes, I know "Mother Tongue Institute" in downtown Abu Dhabi. It would have been great if they had a branch in Dubai. I know of an Iqra Institute here in Abu Dhabi that might be a little longer established than "Mother Tongue" such that they could have a branch in Dubai. I would guess that Sharjah would definitely have, but that is only a guess.

assalamu 'alaykum,

That's right, that makes the two of us! JazakAllah khayr anyway. I guess if I come across something --- which I am doubting now -- I shall let you know. I researched a little on the internet and a few forums about institutes here in Dubai, there are a few but then they aren't into teaching classical Arabic, it's mostly as you mentioned "immersion programs" for westerners and the like.

He said something to this effect: that Arabic system focused a great deal on language use and ignoring the scales and forms of the verb and so on, and the Indo-Pak system focused a great deal on the scales and forms but not enough on language use. With his series he tried to bridge the gap between explicit grammar on the one hand and language use and communication on the other hand. I think that the Indo-Pak system has of late - if I not mistaken - remedied this problem with something like the "Arabi ka mu'allim" (if I got the name right), amongst other materials. So the emphasis appears not to be just on explicit Sarf and Nahw.

I doubt this problem has been fully remedied in the subcontinent institutions although there is much greater realization (and focus) now, so much so that the head of the largest madrasa board in Pakistan, Shaykh Saleem Ullah Khan, wrote an entire short book and introduced it in the 2nd year (along with the Hidayatun Nahw) to address this issue. I have to admit, not many ustadhs even bother teaching this book in their class as they feel completing the Hidayatun Nahw in 9 months or so is itself a difficult task.

Qasid Institute follows also a two prong approach with one prong targeting the students explicit grammar side and the other prong targeting the communication side. The one is more cognitive and the other more communicative i.e. communication about Arabic and communication in Arabic. The two streams run separately, and depending on how strong you are in each department, that is how you are placed according to level. So you might be in level one for communication (or skills) and level two / three for Arabic grammar, and vice versa, depending on how the two are balanced almost like a see-saw. The only difference being that it does not mean that the higher become in one the lower you become in the other. This wouldn't make sense. Rather when you start you might be equal in the two or the one higher than the other.

I would just like to mention that the Arab system tends to be more holistic, in that it covers all aspects of Arabic: reading, writing, listening, speaking, vocabulary and language use in different settings and situations, grammar, etc. These books are often better taught by Arabs themselves which is how they are taught. At Qasid Institute the communicative Arabic is taught by native Arabic speakers, and the explicit Arabic grammar by foreigners proficient in English, and very conversant with the Arabic theory. Later-on, though, the foreign teachers themselves switch over to Arabic, conducting the grammar lessons primarily in Arabic. What is interesting also is that even when it comes to the communicative side of things, native-Arabic teachers have realised the importance of some of the forms and scales, verb & noun conjugations, and the use of the Hans Wehr dictionary. This, I think, they benefitted from their Arabic grammar colleagues who in turn have benefitted from their native Arab colleagues to bring in an element of communication though not as focused as that of the Arabic communication department. Of late Qasid has also distinguished between Classical Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic, again showing a keen awareness of the needs of the specific students that come to study there.

Elsewhere in the Arab world there is not that type of balance. This, however, concerns mostly students who are starting out in their journey to learn Arabic. Those who already have a fairly good foundation won't have to worry about finding a place that will cater for your specific needs without throwing you into the deep end, because everything tends to be in Arabic. If you survive this ordeal, then you're well on your way. If not, you'll find yourself moving from one institute to another or one teacher to another. By now I would think that these institutes have become more sensitive to the respective needs of the foreign student, and try their best to cater for these needs. Some native Arabs have become very adept at teaching foreigners, and have developed a number of useful strategies in making the student eventually realise his / her goal. It is a great feeling to know after a certain period of time (which differs from student to student) that you can finally string words together and actually speak, and find your way around the neighbourhood and in town. This doesn't necessarily mean that your grammar will be strong. Often the student who speaks quite fluently his grammar is not particularly strong, and often the student who knows a lot of grammar feels too shy to speak, and fears making grammar mistakes. Then you have the student who shines out in both departments, which is the ideal situation.

I just thought that I'll take the opportunity to shed some light on how Arabic is taught in some of the Arabic language institutes and centers in the Arab world. This, however, is not the same as the Arabic grammatical tradition in the Arab world which is the question, I think, that Br. Khamal asked. That will require a separate post which will have to take into consideration how Arabic grammar is taught at Arabic and Islamic universities and Islamic institutes in the Arab world on the one hand, and private and public majalis (sittings and circles of knowledge) on the other hand. Here the experience of other members who spent some time in the Arab world will be very useful.

I apologise for the very long post.

Thanks, that was very informative. It would certainly help those who are thinking of studying in the Arab world and hopefully it will help them in choosing the right institute.

wassalam

[clover]

A really good post, jazakAllah khair.

What is sarf and nahw?

[mospike]

grammer and syntax