Arabic in the News
Arabic as a First Language
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To Sustain Standard Arabic, Invest Early in Grammar – Al-Fanar Media
The Arabic used in schools is almost a foreign language to many Arab students, but research suggests ways of teaching it more effectively.
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The Latest in Language Confusion: Morocco Switches Back from Arabic to French
Morocco, which switched instruction language in schools from French to Arabic in the 1980’s, is now reversing course, to the dismay of some educators.
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An Arabic ‘Sesame Street,’ For Refugee Children In The Middle East : NPR
Grover speaks Arabic in a new edition of Sesame Street — one aimed at helping refugee children cope with fear and displacement.
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Teaching Arabic to kids: How families are putting the fun back into reading | Middle East Eye
With taught classical Arabic not spoken in informal conversation, language learning can be a challenge, not least for young children
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Speaking in Mother Tongues – The New York Times
I was determined to teach my son my native Arabic. But raising a truly bilingual child takes a village, I learned.
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Arabic as a Second Language
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A New Certificate Measures Arabic Language Proficiency – Al-Fanar Media
the Institut du Monde Arabe, a Paris-based organization that promotes Arabic language and culture, has introduced the International Certificate for Arabic Language Proficiency.
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Teaching My Son Arabic: Balancing Love and Grammar – Al-Fanar Media
A second-generation Lebanese American mastered classical and colloquial Arabic as an adult. He wants his son also to have access to the world the language opened for him.
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To Make the World a Better Place, Teach Arabic
Learning Arabic language can play a crucial role in achieving peace.
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A Website Seeks to Show ‘How Alive Arabic Is’ – Al-Fanar Media
Hossam Abouzahr argues that Classical and Colloquial Arabic should be used and studied “side by side.”
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At Yale, you can now study Hebrew and Arabic — in the same course | YaleNews
Taught by Dina Roginsky and Sarab Al Ani, “Languages in Dialogue” aims to transcend politics through the study of language and culture in the Middle East.
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A Musical Approach to Teaching Arabic – Al-Fanar Media
An Egyptian academic uses songs to help non-native speakers learn Arabic and help attract foreign students to his country.
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Op-Ed: Depoliticize Arabic studies | The Michigan Daily
The College of LSA language requirement asserts that, “informed respect for other cultures (and) tolerance … are the hallmarks of a liberal arts education, and the study of foreign languages fosters precisely these capacities.” In my experience, however, these capacities are not promoted equally by all language departments at the University of Michigan.
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UMN Arabic department works to address history of Arabic-English dictionary | The Minnesota Daily
The Arabic department is discussing ways to address the Nazi background of the Hans Wehr dictionary.
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Foreign accent determines local attitude | Arab News
From a foreigner’s point of view, learning Arabic as a second language in Saudi Arabia in an informal setting can surely be a frustrating experience.Most non-Arab employees pick up Arabic as they go about their daily lives with little or no formal language instruction.The result is a distorted, simplistic version of the language that determines the way native speakers
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Art
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Arabic Calligraphy in Street Art
The adoption of calligraphy into the street art scenes of Amman and Beirut reveals the value that artists in the region place on their heritage.
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Egypt’s oldest Arabic calligraphy school struggles to survive
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Egyptian calligrapher finds joy in making others happy
A Coptic Christian calligrapher in Upper Egypt is putting his artistic talent to use for all faiths. Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/fr/originals/2016/01/egypt-calligrapher-decorate-mosques-interfaith-unity.html#ixzz6PCuaMedE
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Culture
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All About Arabic Coffee: Traditions and Rituals From Around the Middle East – Scoop Empire
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The Arab world in seven charts: Are Arabs turning their backs on religion? – BBC News
A growing number of Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa say they are no longer religious, a major survey suggests.
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Language Learning
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Dating in a foreign language – an illustrated guide | Education | The Guardian
Dating can be confusing enough in your mother tongue, let alone when your date speaks a foreign language. From dealing with embarrassing mistakes to surviving arguments, Erica Buist shares some tips on how to get by
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Which languages are easiest for native English speakers to learn? | CNN Travel
With so much time on our hands during lockdown, many of us have entertained the idea of learning a foreign language. Here's a look at which languages are easiest — and toughest — for native English speakers to master.
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Is learning on the job the best way to master a language? | Education | The Guardian
From au pairing to serving ice cream, getting a job abroad can help language students improve their skills. But how do you know which job to choose?
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Literature and Reading
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Recommended Reading, 2019: Books From and About the Arab World – Al-Fanar Media
A sampling of works published, translated or honored in the past year illustrates the diversity of writing by Arab authors.
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Online for Free: A Summer Reading List – Al-Fanar Media
Publishers and literary websites are making it easy to find good reading material from or about the Arab world, with many free offerings to choose from.
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Finding the Words: Arab Writers on Queer and Feminist Expression – Al-Fanar Media
At a London literary event, an array of Arab authors discuss the hurdles that cultures, publishers, and even the Arabic language itself can present.
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Professor teaches course on love in Arabic cultures | Issues | dailynebraskan.com
Americans may be familiar with the romantic tragedy of “Romeo and Juliet,” but few know about “Antar and Abla,” a pre-Islamic Arabic story chronicling…
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7 Arabic Novels You Must Read This Summer – Scoop Empire
Whether you have travel plans or not this summer, reading a good book will make your vacation enjoyable no matter what you’re doing. Here’s a list of Arabic novels…
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Misc.
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100 Common Arabic Last Names Or Surnames With Meanings
Arabic surnames come from the place, tribe, clan, or region the family originated from. They are also influenced by…
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The Secret Language of Cairo’s Goldsmiths – Atlas Obscura
In the Egyptian Jewish community, as in many Jewish communities, some elements of Hebrew vocabulary embedded within the Egyptian Arabic vernacular served as a secret language.
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Music
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Umm Kulthum: A Tribute to a Legendary Voice of Egypt – Al-Fanar Media
The life of Umm Kulthum, a singer much loved across the Arab world is told in a Western-style musical in London. Can such an adaption succeed?
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Listen to Kelly Clarkson sing in Arabic thanks to her new single – The National
The singer enlisted the talents of Moroccan Canadian singer Faouzia for her new song
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The Top 10 Iconic Arabic Hits of the Decade – Scoop Empire
So here you go, here are our picks for the top 10 iconic hits of the Arab World.
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Technology
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Artificial Intelligence Speeds Efforts to Enhance Online Arabic Content
Arabic language content is seriously underrepresented online. Computer science researchers in Qatar are developing tools to change that.
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How do you say ‘Hey Siri’ in spoken Arabic? NYUAD lab is working on Gulf dialects to find the answer – The National
A NYUAD database of Arabic words has paved the way for predictive text, speech recognition and speech synthesis in Gulf Arabic.
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Arabic and AI: Why voice-activated tech struggles in the Middle East | Middle East Eye
How computer scientists are trying to get to grips with Arabic and its many dialects
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The State of Arabic
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Why the Split Between Classical and Everyday Arabic Endures
If Arabs want a true lingua franca, they must ease the rigid boundaries they’ve set up between the local dialects and classical Arabic.
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The cry for help to save Arabic – Saudi Gazette
Before I dwelled on the question of how foreign languages posed a grave threat to Arabic. What I meant by that was the new trend especially among the young generation. They believe that language is not an instrument to express one's identity but is only tool of communication.
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Are Arabic accents different languages? | Op-eds – Gulf News
Arabic is an example of the evolution of languages that challenges preconceived notions about good and bad speech
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The Arab World’s Tangled Linguistic Landscape – Al-Fanar Media
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How Teaching in English Divides the Arab World – Al-Fanar Media
Learning the language helps students get access to global jobs, but critics say it threatens the region's culture.
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Translation
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Arabterm: An Online Technical Dictionary – Al-Fanar Media
Arabterm: An Online Technical Dictionary
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Using Artificial Intelligence to Read Arabic Comics – Al-Fanar Media
With their complex mixture of word and image, Arabic comics are being used to extend the capabilities of artificial intelligence.
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Creating a language of our own | JEEM
One week ago, a question was posed in a closed Facebook group. The group consists of people who are interested in the Wiki Gender platform: a space in which we try to produce, develop, and document knowledge in the Arabic language about gender, feminism, sexuality, and other issues of concern to us.
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TV and Film
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القصة الكاملة وراء هاشتاج ديزني بالمصري
القضية يتم تداولها على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي منذ أربع سنوات، تخبو طويلاً، ثم تعود إلى السطح مرة أخرى بفعل باعث ما، غير أن هذه المرة كانت الأكثر رواجًا وتأثيرًا.
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From ‘Captain Majed’ to ‘Adnan wa Lina’: 12 classic Arabic-dubbed animated series you can watch online – The National
Featuring everything from intergalactic battles to 16th-century explorers, these shows are fun, intense and even educational
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The ‘Arabic’ used on Netflix shows is stereotypical, wrong and robotic
It's always the same thought: "No Arab speaks like that."
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