Book Description

As in any other situation of languages in contact, Arabic spoken in the United States is changing under the influence of English. It has incorporated different linguistic innovations, and interference from English occurs on the various linguistic levels. However, in many cases this interference does not lead to language attrition, but rather to the creation of an ethnic language with special uses understood only by members of the Arab-American community. Developed out of Aleya Rouchdy's own involvement and teaching of Arabic in the United States, this book--the first of its kind--is devoted to the full range of Arabic in America. In Part I contributors discuss borrowing and the changes occurring on the various linguistic levels of Arabic and the social factors that have contributed to these changes. Other chapters in Part I deal with code-switching between English and Arabic. Part II examines the shift toward English and the maintenance of Arabic as well as the attitudes that speakers display toward Arabic. Chapters in Part ill are pedagogical in nature. The essays explore the history of the study of Arabic in the United States and examine methods and materials used in the teaching of Arabic, as well as some of the theoretical and practical implications associated with these different approaches. Primarily for readers with special interest in Arab immigration, settlement, and ethnicity, The Arabic Language in America will also engage the attention of sociologists, social historians, anthropologists, linguists, and sociolinguists, who will find the book relevant for their work.