Arabic at GSU: How to do well in your Arabic language class

Monday, August 20, 2012

How to do well in your Arabic language class

The Arabic language class is a group effort! We can make much more progress as a class than as individuals by creating an Arabic-speaking community of which you will be a fully participating member. The following suggestions will help you get the most out of the course:

1- Prepare for active participation in class. Practice new vocabulary out loud until you can produce it easily, listen/read texts several times until you are ready to answer questions on them, practice new grammar by using them in sentences.

2- Study out loud. The only way to train your brain and your mouth to speak in Arabic is through performance. Reading silently is not enough. Repeat whatever you hear, pronounce whatever you write, and learn to talk to yourself in Arabic.

3- Think in Arabic. While on your way from one class to another, think to yourself in Arabic. Name all of the objects whose name you know in Arabic. Describe their location, size, shape, color, number, adding as much detail as possible.

4- Study in pairs/groups. This is a great way to prepare for class and review—as long as you do the work in Arabic as much as possible, of course! Language is used for communication and interaction, and you can only learn by practicing. Studying with others is more fun and more productive. Arab culture is a very interactive and participatory culture, and the best way to learn about it is to get involved.

5- Personalize vocabulary. Make words relevant by thinking of what you can say about yourself with them. Write extra sentences that are meaningful to you so that the vocabulary becomes yours.

6- Learn to guess. Think about how you acquired your native language: you learned new words by guessing their meaning from context, and you learned how to produce sentences by imitating and using patterns. As adult learners, we can take some shortcuts, but guessing skills remain central to language acquisition.

7- Good language learners learn from their own mistakes and those of others. As adults, we have been trained not to make mistakes. As language learners new to Arabic, mistakes are going to be made, but should not cause you undue stress. When your classmates are speaking, be an active listener by listening both to what they are saying and how they are saying it. Think about how you would correct their sentences.

8- The first month of class requires an extra time investment on your part. Expect to spend an extra hour per day during the first month while we are doing the alphabet drills. This investment will pay off later

Happy Learning

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Cairo: The City Victorious

In a country that has been ruled by the same man for the past three decades, it can be easy to forget that February's uprising is not Egypt's first revolution. In the book Cairo: The City Victorious, Max Rodenbeck ushers us through Cairo's complex and layered history, delicately moving through ancient and medieval times, then Cairo's colonization, nationalization and, finally, its modern-day state. Part personal commentary, Rodenbeck's book weaves in his experiences of growing up and living in Cairo, providing for the reader the smells and sights of this moving, breathing capital. Fittingly, the final chapter of the book is called 'The Voice of Cairo,' and although written over a decade ago, it gives us the perspective we need to understand the voices that have emerged from today's victorious city..

Arab personality of the week: Nawal Al Moutawakel 1962-

Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Nawal is an athlete and Olympic Gold medalist. In 1984, she won the gold medal in the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and, in doing so, became the first Arab women, African woman, Muslim woman, Moroccan woman, and Cyclone woman to win Olympic gold. Her Olympic victory made her an immediate national hero in Morocco. In 1989, she was appointed inspector at the Ministry of Sport and Youth and then became the national sprint and hurdle coach for both men and women. In 1997 she became secretary of state for sport and youth. From 1998 to 2003 she was executive director of the Foundation for Education and Environment in Casablanca, and she was director of the Sahara Sports Academy in India, as well as president and founding member of the Moroccan Association of Sport and Development.  
Throughout her professional career, Nawal has used her popularity and influence to continue breaking down barriers for women. She has been an agent of change in the male-dominated Moroccan society, helping and inspiring other women to assert themselves through sport. She organized the first-ever Moroccan women’s 10K race through the streets of Casablanca, an event that now attracts more than 20,000 participants. She has led significant change for women in sport on the international level.
She is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission for the London 2012 Olympic Games, and was president of the IOC Evaluation Commission for those same games, the first woman to serve in each of those capacities. She has also been a leader in AIDS education and tsunami relief efforts.  In 2007, Nawal was named the Minister of Sports in Morocco.