The Ecology of Arabic: A Study of Arabicization (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics, 60)

This book offers a comprehensive account of Arabicization in the Middle East and Egypt in the early period of the Arab conquests. Drawing on material from ancient Arabic grammarians as well as modern studies in second language acquisition, it analyzes the linguistic and non-linguistic ecological factors that contributed to the development of Arabic during the early period after the Arab conquests. It describes the pre-Islamic linguistic and sociolinguistic situation and traces the development in this period. The sociological, cultural, and sociolinguistic context is sketched to determine the nature and quality of the process of learning Arabic in the early period. The work further discusses the process of learning Arabic as a second language and the input provided by the native speakers, which both affected the structure of the emerging dialects. Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. The Ecology Of Language Development -- 2. The Development Of Arabic In Pre-islamic Times -- 3. Arabic After The Conquests -- 4. Socio-demographic Parameters Of Arabicization -- 5. Informal Second Language Acquisition And Foreigner Talk -- 6. Foreigner Talk In Arabic -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index. By Muhammad Al-sharkawi. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [251]-261) And Index. This book offers a comprehensive theory of Arabicization in the Middle East and Egypt in the early period of the Arab conquests. It thereby draws on old Arab grammarians coupled with modern research in second language acquisition.