The Arabic Language

And the Culture of Iraq

Prepared for Colleagues and Administrators
Tiffany Semcken
ES5063 Linguistics for TESOL
Dr. Rita Deyoe-Chiullán
November 25, 2020
Introduction
❏ Learning a new language can be challenging!
Taking the time to understand a student’s native
language and their culture is essential for
educators to help students succeed. Creating a
relationship between home and school with
families of different backgrounds is beneficial for
educators to develop an understanding of the
language, culture and background.
❏ The Arabic language in this presentation stems from
Iraqi refugees relocating to the Chicago area over
the years. There are several differences between the
Arabic and English languages that are essential for
educators to recognize to help students succeed in
learning English. The presentation identifies
differences in phonology, morphology/syntax
(grammar) and cultural differences of Arabic and
the Iraqi culture, in comparison to English and the
American culture.
Vowel Contrasts
❏ The Arabic language has fewer vowels than English, ❏ Pronunciation of vowels varies from speaker
resulting in difficulty pronouncing different vowels to speaker, but some sounds are more
in sit/seat, bet/bat, shut/shot, boat/boot, and bait/beet common than others (Arabic, 2020).
(Ghareeb et al., 2008, pg. 29).
❏ Short vowels are not written (Ghareeb et al.,
❏ There are six pure vowels and two diphthongs: /aj/ 2008, pg. 24)
and /aw/. Most modern dialects have eight pure
vowels. (Arabic, 2020).
Consonants Contrasts
❏ Arbic speakers have difficulty in pronouncing ❏ Consonants can be long or short (Arabic,
some English consonant digraphs such as the th 2020).
sound in words like this and thin (Shoebottom,
2016, para. 6).

❏ There are 28 consonants, some have changed ❏ Many consonants are labeled as “emphatic”
sounds over time (Arabic, 2020). giving emphasis to its sound (Arabic, 2020).
Differences in Alphabet and Scripts
❏ In Arabic, the alphabet has
28 consonants and 8
vowels/diphthongs (Ghareeb
et al., 2008, pg. 24).
❏ There is no contrast between
upper and lowercase letters in
Arabic writing (Shoebottom,
2016, para. 3).
❏ Characters are used to represent
letters and their transcriptions
(sounds). As the characters
(letters) are combined into words,
their shape slightly changes
(Ghareeb et al., 2008, pg. 25).
❏ Punctuation rules are very
different than in English
(Ghareeb et al., 2008, pg.
29).
❏ Arabic is written from right
to left in a cursive script
(Shoebottom, 2016, para.
3).
 Arabic
is an
abjad
Script
An abjad script is only
written representations
of consonants (Arabic,
2020).
Morphology/Syntax (Grammar) Contrasts
❏ Genitive constructions cause
difficulties amongst Arabic
speakers learning English. In
English, the boy’s dog might be
expressed as dog the boy in
Arabic (Shoebottom, 2016, para.
12).
❏ The Arabic language does not
utilize a parallel to is and are,
saying “I Iraqi” instead of “I am
Iraqi” or “What your name?”
instead of “What is your name?”
(Ghareeb et al., 2008, pg. 29).
❏ Similar to English, the Arabic
language has a definite article, but it
does not have the same use as the
❏ There is no present tense ‘to English language (the used before a
be’ verb, or have the helping noun to identify the noun)
verb do. This causes Arabic (Shoebottom, 2016, para. 12).
speakers to insert the helping
verb often when not
necessary: “Do I must do
that?” (Shoebottom, 2016,
para. 7, 11).
❏ There are no indefinite articles (a,
an used before a general noun),
often leading to leaving them out
when speaking English
(Shoebottom, 2016, para. 12).
History and Background
❏ Arabic generally refers to Standard
❏ Arabic is one of the six official
Arabic, which is then divided into
languages of the United Nations and
Classical Arabic (prescriptive) and
the fifth most spoken language in the
❏ Several dialects (more than 15) of Modern Standard Arabic (Arabic,
world (Arabic, 2020).
spoken Arabic from region to region 2020).
(Ghareeb et al., 2008, pg. 24).

❏ Classical Arabic and Modern Standard

❏ Arabic has influenced many
Arabic are not mutually intelligible
languages around the world and has
(Arabic, 2020).
borrowed from other languages
(Arabic, 2020).
Cultural Contrasts of Iraq for
Teachers/Students/Parents
❏ It is considered disrespectful to look
someone in the eye during a conversation
(ProQuest & BYU, 2020).
❏ The communication style in is indirect, as
saying things straightforward can be
considered rude (CultureCrossing, 2017).
❏ Men and women shake hands, kiss on the
cheeks, or hug when greeting, but more
conservative or religious individuals do not
touch unless they are closely related (ProQuest
& BYU, 2020).
❏ Some studies only require lectures, while
others require labs (engineering/medicines)
(CultureCrossing, 2017).

❏ Fathers are addressed as “father of” followed by his oldest son’s name, mothers are addressed as “mother of” followed by
her oldest son’s name. If there are no sons, then they would use their oldest daughter’s name. In Iraq, a person’s name is
formed by their first name, their father’s first name, and then the family name (ProQuest & BYU, 2020).
Conclusion
Understanding and recognizing the vast differences between the Arabic language and
the Iraqi culture compared to English and the American culture should be taken into
thoughtful consideration when teaching English language learners. Looking closely at
phonology, morphology/syntax (grammar) and cultural differences for a student’s
native language can help educators while preparing for teaching English to support
their students and to have an understanding of the challenges that student may be
facing.
References
Arabic. (2020). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic

CultureCrossing. (2017a). Culture crossing guide: Iraq. Culture Crossing.

http://guide.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student.php?id=99

Ghareeb, E., Ranard, D., & Tutunji, J. (2008). Refugees from Iraq: Their history, cultures, and background experiences. Cultural

Orientation Resource Center, 1-38.

file:///media/fuse/drivefs-817fa17e943a068f2e237c8e13cbfbe5/root/Refugees+from+Iraq.pdf

ProQuest LLC & Brigham Young University. (2020a). Iraq. Culturegrams, World Edition 2020.

http://online.culturegrams.com/world/world_country.php?contid=12&wmn=Asia&cid=191&cn=Iraq

Shoebottom, P. (2016a). The differences between English and Arabic. In Grammar: Language Differences. Frankfurt International

School. http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/arabic.htm