Arabic writing in the Digital Age

The present lecture is part of the monthly Research Talks organised by the Arabic Language@Leeds Satellite group in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies at University of Leeds. Abstract: Traditionally, the acceptable form for Arabic writing was the fuṣḥā form, and yet we see in the digital age the proliferation of writing that more closely resembles the spoken āmmīyah forms. Perhaps even more interestingly, we see the use of ‘mixed’ forms of writing that combine elements of both fuṣḥā and āmmīyah. Is this mixing random or are there patterns we can identify? Are we witnessing an evolution of Arabic writing? How can we analyse this language use in the wider context of Arabic writing, and how does this language use compare with traditional print media and literature? Dr Saussan Khalil is a Senior Arabic Language Teacher at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Cambridge University. She is also the founder and director or Kalamna, a social enterprise providing Arabic language classes for children, teacher training and research-based resources for teaching Arabic. She holds a PhD in Arabic sociolinguistics and MA by Research in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language – both from Leeds University. She also holds a Certificate for Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language from SOAS and a BA English Literature from Alexandria University in Egypt. The talk took place on May 24th, 2-3pm BST

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5/24/2021 1:00:29 PM