Developing the Linguistic Repertoire and Translanguaging Skills of Learners of Arabic as an Additional Language

Arabic has been held up as a model of diglossia with Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) representing the “high” variety and local dialects the “low” variety. Yet, Arabic is not merely two language varieties, and Arabic speakers do not merely switch between the two. Arabic speakers, instead, draw on an array of linguistic features along a heteroglossic continuum between MSA and vernacular varieties (including sociolects). Features are deployed in daily interactions triggered by formality, education, gender, stancetaking, and other variables. Understanding how to successfully deploy these features – translanguaging – is part of Arabic speakers’ communicative competence. Translanguaging, however, poses a challenge for learners of Arabic as an additional language. In response, greater emphasis on sociolinguistic competence is advocated to develop learners’ proficiency to more effectively function in Arabic-speaking communities. We suggest enhancing metalinguistic awareness early on through pragmatic-focused task-based activities scaffolded by explicit instruction about the forms and functions of Arabic features.