World Arabic Language Day returns on Dec. 18, commemorating the 1973 decision to make Arabic one of the official languages of the United Nations. For Nesrine Basheer, assistant professor of teaching at the University of British Columbia (UBC), the language is an incredibly diverse one, particularly within its dialects.
“The dialect is the language people love in, the language that they fight in, the language that you hear in the café, songs, soap operas, films,” Basheer says, noting how the richness of the dialect contributes to cultural production.
A diglossic language
In its winter 2022/2023 session, UBC launched four new courses in modern Arabic language and culture – all of which are taught by Basheer. She notes that this modernized Arabic is different from the classical Arabic found in The Quran.
“In terms of structure [and] grammar, it is the same grammar that we use now, but the vocabulary – many of the words are no longer used,” she says. “Or the same word has evolved in meaning as two languages, as languages do.”
According to Basheer, modern standard Arabic is the official language taught in schools and used in formal contexts, including politics, law, academia and journalism. However, it is not native to Arabic speakers due to the various dialects that exists across the Arabic-speaking world.
“Let’s say a child is born in Jordan. They speak Jordanian Arabic at home,” she explains.
“[T]hey go to school, then they start reading and writing in standard Arabic.”
She further emphasizes that there is a huge diversity in the dialects both across Arab speaking nations and even within countries themselves. In comparing geographies and the languages spoken, she finds that similarities can be found amongst dialects within geographical proximity of each other.
“It’s almost like groups of languages,” she says. “For example, the dialect in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan are very close because of the geography.”
Nesrine Basheer at Imagine UBC | Photo courtesy of UBC Department of Asian Studies
Basheer notes that the opposite is true as well: speakers who are farther apart geographically experience more differences in their dialect. In these situations, she says that “language accommodation” is used. This is a skill in which speakers come together, finding ways to communicate despite the differences.
The next steps
Besides working to establish the program as well as focusing on her teaching and research, Basheer has several objectives for what is next. One of them is teaching Arabic courses at UBC Extended Learning, which is open to the public. Recognizing many families’ desire for their children to learn Arabic, she is also interested in a secular model for teaching the language.
“There is a need for the Islamic route and the Christian route,” she says. “But what about those that want Arabic without the religious aspect?”
Basheer will also be reaching out to the Arabic teaching communities to learn of their challenges and the required resources. She shares that what most attracted her to this role was the opportunity itself and the ability to start something from scratch.
“I felt like I had grown enough as a teacher and practitioner, and I wanted the leadership position,” she says. “To make decisions and to start something. And, of course, UBC is one of the top universities.”
She shares that, after the interview, her decision was even further solidified. When asked directly in the interview process as to how much freedom she would have in her work, the head of the department’s immediate response was “full freedom.”
“The impression was that it was a strong well-established program. They had already introduced Farsi before I arrived, going further to include Arabic,” she says. “I had their full trust, and I couldn’t resist coming and joining.”
For more information, please see: https://asia.ubc.ca/profile/nesrine-basheer
