Arabic Dialectology

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course examines Arabic dialectology and variation, focusing on how colloquial and Standard Arabic varieties differ, and why those differences matter for power, class, migration, education, etc. Students learn core analytical tools for comparing Arabic varieties (phonetics/phonology, morphology, and syntax), evaluate competing theories about historical development and relatedness across varieties, and practice empirical methods, including observation-based “mini-fieldwork” and data-driven analysis. Through sustained comparison across regions and speech communities, the course treats linguistic structure as inseparable from socio-historical context and from the social meanings attached to “dialect” and “standard.”