Integrating ‘Āmmiyya and Fuṣḥā in AFL Programs: The Cornell University Model

Munther Younes

The current debate in the field of Arabic as a foreign language (AFL) instruction is not about WHETHER a ‘Āmmiyya component should be included alongside Fuṣḥā in AFL programs, but on HOW and WHEN it should be included. Should it be introduced before, after, or simultaneously with Fuṣḥā? If introduced simultaneously, should it be introduced in the same or in a separate course?

At Cornell University, I have developed an Arabic program and a set of instructional materials that integrate the two language varieties and introduces them simultaneously in an integrated manner. Building on shared features of ‘Āmmiyya and Fuṣḥā, which after all are varieties of the same language, the Program introduces the two language varieties simultaneously from the first day of instruction. It gradually and systematically builds the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing as well as knowledge of Arab geography, history, and culture and with the goal graduating students who are proficient in the language as it is actually used by native speakers.

Munther Younes

Munther Younes is Reis Senior Lecturer in Arabic Language and Linguistics and director of the Arabic program in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Cornell University and is Professor at Large at the Africa Institute, Global Studies University in Sharjah, the United Arabic Emirates. In addition, he currently holds a two-month position (May 2024-July 2024) as a Visiting Professor and Researcher at the International University of Languages and Media (IULM  in Milan, Italy.

Munther earned a B.A. in English and a diploma in education from the University of Jordan (1974), and a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin (1982).

Munther has developed an Arabic program at Cornell that is radically different from Arabic programs elsewhere in its integration of spoken Arabic with Modern Standard Arabic in a way that reflects the use of the language by native speakers.

Munther has published a number of articles in Arabic linguistics, teaching Arabic as a foreign language, and the language of the Qur’an. He is also the author of the following five books: The Integrated Approach to Arabic Instruction, Charging Steeds or Maidens Performing Good Deeds: In Search of the Original Qur’an, The Routledge Introduction to Qur’anic Arabic, Kalila wa Dimna for Students of Arabic, and RiHla ilaa Bilaad al-‘Arab. Finally, Munther is the lead author of the four-part textbook series ‘Arabiyyat al-Naas, published by Routledge.