Browsing Tag
Middlebury College
6 posts
Does the term “foreign language” still fit our times?
Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL); the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL): we need to talk about the "F"-word in these acronyms, writes Dr. Roger Anderson. If Arabic is a "foreign" language, then every time Arab-Americans speak it within their home, they are performing something foreign in every conversation. Hence, the "foreign" has to be abandoned, opines Dr. Anderson in a thought-provoking guest article.
Is Arabic taught differently in Germany than in the USA?
"Real-life-situations" (USA) versus "lots of grammar" (Germany) - that's what studying Arabic used to be in both countries. But that is changing, says Paula Rötscher, who has studied Arabic at university level in the US and in Germany - and, moreover, teaches Arabic at several institutions.
Are the Arabic verb forms XI to XV (11-15) really so rare?
There are ten verb forms in Arabic. That is what most people learn - even at universities. But that is not the end of the story, as we will learn in this article.
Iraqi Arabic 101
Ulric Shannon is currently studying and absorbing Iraqi Arabic in Baghdad. In a long interview, the Ambassador of Canada, who is not only passionate but also impeccably knowledgeable of Arabic, tells us about the characteristics and specialities of Iraqi Arabic and gives some book recommendations.
20 questions for: Reginald Hefner (#13)
20 questions for the man who speaks all the languages which the famous Middlebury Language School offers (except for Korean): Reginald Hefner
20 questions for: Ulric Shannon (#11)
Episode #11 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the Western diplomat and Canadian ambassador who enjoys giving interviews in Arabic: Ulric Shannon.