Lessons 1-7 introduce the range of Arabic diversity, from Old Arabic to modern dialects. Phonetic/phonological, morphological, syntactic and lexical features of different spoken varieties are presented by means of recorded and transcribed texts. The course continues with cross-dialectal comparison - developed around phonetic, morphological and lexical key issues. Current dialectal classifications - distinguishing eastern/western, urban/rural/Bedouin and communal varieties – are described using concepts of ‘linguistic classification’ and ‘reconstruction’, ‘areal vs. genetic feature’, ‘grammaticalization’, ‘shared innovation’ and ‘isogloss’. We will discuss theoretical and methodological issues: the strict correlation between linguistic variation and other social variables (ethnicity, urbanization and religion) supports the importance of integrating sociolinguistic approach and neo-grammarian models of reconstruction and classification: ‘sub-stratum’ and ‘Arabization’ become central for historical reconstruction, to situate Arabic dialects within Semitic.

AIMS: Students will become aware of the cross-dialectal diversity of Arabic, its origin, development and key features, and will acquire the proper linguistic terminology to describe these phenomena. They will also be guided through the history and latest trajectories of investigation of Arabic dialectology. Mastery of systematic parameters of analysis eases fast and autonomous acquisition of different Arabic varieties in further studies.