The Second Biannual Conference on
Arabic Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition
University of Michigan
September 1-2, 2018
For full schedule and registration information:  
https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/arabic-sla-conference/program-schedule/

Saturday, September 1, 2018

7:45-8:15  Registration (Michigan League, 2^nd Floor)
8:15-8:30   Welcome--Opening Remarks (Vandenberg Room-Michigan League, 2^ndFloor) 

PANEL: LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES, ATTITUDES, AND MOTIVATION 
Location: Vandenberg Room (Michigan League, 2^ndFloor)
Chair:  Brahim Chakrani, Michigan State University

8:30-9:00  Arabic Language-Learning Strategy Preferences among College-Level Students
Hezi Brosh, United States Naval Academy

9:00-9:30 Learners’ and Teachers’ Attitudes to Using L1 in EFL and AFL classrooms
El-Hussein A. Y. Aly, Helwan University, Egypt

9:30-10:00 Language Attitude Perspectives on Arabic as a Second Language Learning and Teaching
Mohamed ElSawi Hassan, Amherst College

10:00-10:30 The Effect of Innate Psychological Needs on Learning Arabic as a Second Language in Light of Self-determination Theory
Abdelaadim Bidaoui, Ball State University

10:30-10:45 Coffee/Tea Break

10:45-12:00 Keynote – Vandenberg Room (Michigan League, 2^ndFloor)
On Polyglots and Multilingualism
Stephen Krashen  

12:00-1:30 Lunch Break

PANEL: CODESWITCHING, NAMING, AND DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
Location:Vandenberg Room (Michigan League, 2^ndFloor)
Chair: Abdulkafi Albirini, Utah State University

1:30-2:00 Codeswitching Use on Twitter and Implications for Arabic L2 Pedagogy Saeed Ali Al Alaslaa, King Abdulaziz University

2:00-2:30  What is in a Name? The Case of Arabic Names
Ahmed Ferhadi, New York University

2:30-3:00 A Window on Islamic Cultural Discourse Strategies in Textbooks of Arabic as a ForeignLanguage: A Descriptive Study
Halimeh Ahmad Mohammad Amayreh, Al- Balqa' Applied University; andMokhemer Saleh Mosa Yehya, Yarmouk University

PANEL: ARABIC HERITAGE LEARNERS AND L1/L2 ACQUISITION
Location: Vandenberg Room (Michigan League, 2^ndFloor)
Chair: Mohammad T. Alhawary, University of Michigan

3:00-3:30 Heritage and L2 Learners’ Acquisition of Arabic Emphatics and Gutturals: An Ultrasound Study
Amanda Eads, Jodi Khater, and Jeff Mielke, North Carolina State University

3:30-4:00 L1 and L2 Transfer in Heritage Speakers and L2 Learners of Standard Arabic
Abdulkafi Albirini, Utah State University; Eman Saadah, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and Mohammad T. Alhawary, University of Michigan

4:00-4:30 Sentential Negation in Southern Levantine Heritage Arabic
Ahmad Alqassas, Georgetown University

4:30-5:00 Why Standard Arabic is not a “Second Language” for Native Speakers of Arabic
Abdulkafi Albirini, Utah State University

6:00-10:00 Reception/Dinner - Koessler Room (Michigan League, 3rd Floor)

Sunday, September 2, 2018

PANEL: TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED LEARNING AND TEACHING
Location: Hussey Room (Michigan League, 2^ndFloor)
Chair: Sameh Abdelrehim Alansary, University of Alexandria

8:00-8:30 Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language Using Blended E-learning and its Effectiveness on Achievement and Attitude towards Self-learning
Hanan Hamdi Elsalamouny and Walid Mohamed Ghabbour, Shaqra University, Saudi Arabia

8:30-9:00 Influence of Technology on the Acquisition of Incidental Vocabulary
Juman Al Bukhari and John Dewey, University of North Georgia

9:00-9:30 It is Fun to Make Comics! Integrating Digital Comics Creation Tasks in the Online AFL Classroom
Mona Maged Hassan Abdou Azam, The American University in Cairo

9:30-10:00 A Corpus Study of Length and Pronominality Effect on L2 Arabic Ditransitive Construction
Cheng-Wei Lin, University of Texas, Austin

10:00-10:15 Coffee/Tea Break

PANEL: CLASSROOM INTERACTION AND TASKS
Location:Hussey Room (Michigan League, 2^ndFloor)
Chair: Eman Saadah, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

10:45-11:15 The Role of Tasks and Activities in the Development of Language Competence by Learners of Arabic as a Second Language Fouad Amraoui, Mohammed V University& Qalam wa Lawh Center for Arabic Studies

11:15-12:15 Keynote – Hussey Room (Michigan League, 2^ndFloor)
Automatic Arabic Text Diacritization for Teaching/Learning Arabic as a Foreign Language
Sameh Abdelrehim Alansary, University of Alexandria

12:15-2:00 Lunch Break

PANEL: LANGUAGE LEARNING AND IDEOLOGY
Location: Hussey Room (Michigan League, 2^ndFloor)
Chair: Wijdan Alsayegh, University of Michigan

2:00-2:30 Examining the Role of Ideology in Intergenerational Language Attitudes amongst Arab Americans
Brahim Chakrani, Michigan State University

2:30-3:00 Language Ideologies in Arabic Classrooms: A Reflection from a Study Abroad Experience
Dris Soulaimani, San Diego State University

3:00-3:30 Moving from Monolingual to Multilingual Ideologies of Arabic Language Learning
Emma Trentman, University of New Mexico

PANEL: WORD RECOGNITION AND READING & PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT  
Location: Hussey Room (Michigan League, 2^ndFloor)
Chair: Mohammad T. Alhawary, University of Michigan

3:30-4:00 The Role of Diacritics in Word Recognition and their Impact on Arabic L2 Learners’ Reading Speed, Accuracy, and Comprehension at Different Stages of Arabic L2 Acquisition
Ali Ahmed Al Midhwah, King Saud University

4:30-5:00  Native Arabic Speakers as Key Informants in Assessing Oral Proficiency of Nonnatives
Wessam Abdelaziz, Western Michigan University

Co-Sponsors

Department of MiddleEast Studies

Department of Linguistics

Weinberg Institute for Cognitive Science

The Language Resource Center

Humanities Institute

First Call for Papers:

You are invited to submit proposals for presentation at the University of Michigan International Conference on Arabic Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition:

“Arabic Second Language Learning, Teaching, and Testing"

to be held at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, September 1-2, 2018.

The conference is an open forum for scholars interested in exploring empirically topics and issues in Arabic applied linguistics and second language acquisition. The conference themes are Arabic second/foreign language learning, teaching, and testing as well as the interface and connections between them.

Current approaches for investigating the different aspects (phonology, vocabulary, morphology, syntax, morphosyntax, semantics, pragmatics, etc.) of Arabic second/foreign language learning include but not limited to:

• Formal (generative, functional, typological)
• Cognitive (processability, attention, noticing and awareness)
• Input-based (input processing; input, interaction and output)
• Frequency and usage-based
• Corpus-based
• L1 transfer
• L2 transfer
• Sociocultural
• Sociocognitive
• Language socialization
• Neurobiological
• Discourse, Conversation Analysis
• Code switching
• Diglossia
• Ideology
• Identity
• Heritage

Topics which deal with the theory and practice of Arabic second/foreign language teaching and second language proficiency testing and assessment include but not limited to:

• Application of classroom approaches or specific techniques to teach language skills and components (speaking, listening, reading, writing, culture, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation)
• Technology-mediated learning and teaching
• Local versus study-abroad environment
• Second language acquisition-second language pedagogy interface
• L2 maintenance and attrition
• Learning strategies
• Individual differences and external variables (aptitude, anxiety, attitude, distance, motivation, learner’s perception, etc.)
• Accuracy
• Fluency
• Curriculum design and assessment
• Foreign language learning assessment
• Proficiency testing (speaking, listening, reading, and writing)
• Second language acquisition-testing interface
• Teacher cognition
• Teacher education

Languages of the conference:
English and Arabic

Abstract submission:
To present a paper, an abstract is required. To submit an abstract, please visit the following site:

https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/arabic-sla-conference/submissions/

Deadline for Receipt of Abstracts:
March 1, 2018

Notification of abstract acceptance:
March 25, 2018

Publication:
Following the conference, papers which are recommended by external peer reviewers will be published in Al-‘Arabiyya (The Journal of the American Association of Teachers of Arabic).

Keynote Speakers:
To be announced

Co-Sponsors at U-M:
Department of Near Eastern Studies
Department of Linguistics
The Language Resource Center

Conference Advisory Committee:

Professor Mohammad Alhawary
Professor Brahim Chakrani
Professor Sami Boudelaa

Registration:
Registration is free. Please register online by using the following link: 

Inquiries:
Please contact the conference organizer, Prof. Mohammad Alhawary: abuamr@umich.edu

The American Association of Teachers of Arabic (AATA) invites members and other professionals in the field of Arabic teaching to submit proposals to participate in a panel on “Challenges and prospects for teaching Arabic as a second language”

The panel will take place on Friday November 17, 2:00 p.m. in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) November 18-21, 2017 in Washington, DC 2017 at the Marriot  Wardman Park Hotel.

Presentations will focus on current and innovative techniques to address the challenges of teaching Arabic as a second language, including Arabic as a heritage language. Your proposal should be 250 to 300 words (excluding bibliography).

The abstract should have a clear description of the issue /s or research questions, methods and /or applications and a brief description of the study results, if applicable. The panel will focus on the theoretical and applied aspects of this theme and can include, but is not limited to, scholarly work from the following areas:

Applied Linguistics

Corpus Linguistics

Language Assessment

Material Development

Second Language Acquisition and Teaching

Sociolinguistics

While either English or Arabic can be used, panelists are strongly encouraged to deliver their presentation in Arabic.  Abstracts can be in either Arabic or English. Please send your proposal to Brahim Chakrani (chakrani@ msu.edu) by April 20, 2017. You must have “AATA panel” in your email subject. Late submissions and abstracts exceeding the word limit will not be accepted.  Notification of acceptance will be sent by April 27.

Note: the panel's room number will be posted at a later date, and after your proposal is accepted, inform Brahim Chakrani of the technology that you may need for your presentation. 

Qatar Foundation International

Arabic K-16 Forum

Click to register

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
8:00 - 8:20 Registration

8:20 - 8:30 Welcome - Opening Remark

PHONOLOGY
8:30 - 9:00 The L2 Acquisition of Arabic Final Consonant Clusters by L1 Chinese Speakers
Mona Mohamed El Moataz, Alexandria University

9:00 - 9:30 The Perception and Production of Arabic Lexical Stress by Learners of Arabic: A Usage-Based Account
Cheng-Wei Lin, University of Michigan

9:30 - 10:00 The Contribution of Phonetics in Learning Arabic as a Second Language through Reading: The Case of Some Arabic Emphatic Consonants
Bouguerra Cheddad and Nacereddine Benabdallah, Mohamed Chérif Messaadia University

10:00 - 10:30 Vocalization impact on the reading skills for beginner learners of Arabic
Maysoon Al Sayed Ahmad, University of Mary Washington

10:15 - 10:45 Coffee Break

10:45 - 11:45 Keynote Address: Fitting Arabic and English into one Brain: Insights from Gating and Semantic Priming
Sami Boudelaa, University of UAE & Cambridge University

TEACHING TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES
11:45 - 12:15 Effectiveness of Metacognitive Debugging Skills Training in Reducing Reading Deficiency among Non-Arabic Speaker Students Regarding Levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
Waleed Radwan, Buraydah Colleges, and Hamdy Elfaramawy, Minoufyia University

12:15 - 12:45 Gallery Walk: An Alternative Learning Strategy in Increasing Students’ Active Learning
Muhammad Ridwan, Hasanuddin University

12:45 - 1:15 The Effectiveness of Strategic Teaching in Reducing Meta-Reading Deficit among EFL and Arabic as a Second Language Learners with Reading Difficulties
Waleed Radwan, Buraydah Colleges, and Hala Bakry, Minoufyia University

1:15 - 3:00 Lunch Break

DISCOURSE & WRITING
3:00 - 3:30 L2 Writing in Arabic: Discourse Analysis and Pedagogical Reflections
Dris Soulaimani, New York University Abu Dhabi

3:30 - 4:00 Second Language Learning in Arabic by Using Corpus Analysis Tools on Media Texts about Arab Uprisings: An empirical Study of Writing and Reading Processes
Nadia Makouar, INALCO, Paris

4:00 - 4:30 Importance of Pragmatic Competence in Teaching Arabic as A Foreign Language
Hafid Ismaili Alaoui, Qatar University

4:30 - 5:05 Discourse Errors: An analysis of Written Discourse Errors
Waleed Anati, Qatar University

5:00 - 5:30 The Affective Dimension of Language Use in Arabic Textbooks
Abdulkareem Said Ramadan, Gettysburg College

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2016

PHONOLOGY II
8:00 - 8:30 Arabic L2 Acquisition: An Ultrasound Study of Emphatics and Gutturals
Amanda Eads and Jodi Khater, North Carolina State University

8:30 - 9:00 Effects of L1-English Vowel System Transfer on L2-Arabic Production and Perception of Short and Long Vowels: Findings and Applications
Zafer Lababidi, Florida State University

9:00 - 9:30 Investigating the Perception and Production of Arabic Pharyngealized Sounds amongst L2 learners of Arabic
Hajar Binasfour, University of Reading

9:30 - 10:00 Production of Modern Standard Arabic Lexical Stress Cues by Native Speakers of American English
Mashael Al-Aloula, George Mason University

10:00 - 10:15 Coffee Break

PEDAGOGY I
10:15 - 10:45 Feedback Patterns and Awareness of Feedback in the Arabic Foreign Language Classroom
Gergana Atanassova, The Ohio State University

10:45 - 11:15 Learner Perceptions about Arabic Language Learning in the US
Maimoonah K. Al Khalil, King Saud University

11:15 - 11:45 Learners’ and Instructors’ Preferences for Integrated and Isolated Form-Focused Instruction: The Case of Arabic
Hussein M. Elkhafaifi, University of Washington

11:45 - 12:15 Spelling Errors Among College-level Students Learning Arabic
Hezi Brosh, United States Naval Academy

12:15 - 1:15 Lunch Break

LOCAL & STUDY ABROAD
1:15 - 1:45 Spoken Arabic and Short-Term Study Abroad: Impact of Social Interaction on the Acquisition of Spoken Arabic
Asma Ben Romdhane, The University of Iowa

1:45 - 2:15 Research-Based Interventions for Language and Intercultural Learning during Study Abroad
Emma Trentman, University of New Mexico

2:15 - 2:45 Spoken and Semantic Fluency of Arabic Second-language Learners during Study Abroad
Alia Lancaster, Medha Tare, Carrie Bonilla, Ewa Golonka, Matt Mermel, and Scott Jackson, University of Maryland

2:45 - 3:15 The Impact of Context and Affective Variables on Learners’ Gains in the Comprehension and Production of Arabic as L2
Meriem Sahli, Al Akhawayn University

3:15 - 3:30 Coffee Break

VOCABULARY & CULTURE
3:30 - 4:00 Looking at Words: An Eye-tracking Investigation of Incidental Vocabulary Learning from L2 Arabic Reading
Ayman A Mohamed, Michigan State University

4:00 - 4:30 Context vs Keyword Methods in Learning Arabic Vocabulary
Olla Najah Al-Shalchi, The University of Texas at Austin

4:30 - 5:00 Measuring L2 Arabic Vocabulary Acquisition with Frequency-based Assessments
Robert Ricks, Georgetown University

5:00 - 5:30 First-year Students’ Experiences of Arabic Language and Cultures: When Learners’ Expectations Meet College Classroom Reality
Brahim Oulbeid, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

6:00 - 9:00 Reception/Dinner

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

PEDAGOGY II
8:00 - 8:30 The Effects of Processing Instruction on the Acquisition of Arabic Tense and OVS Sentences
Adam Ziad, Florida Atlantic University

8:30 - 9:00 The role of Perceptual Salience in the L2 Acquisition Sequence of the Arabic Construct State
Mahmoud Azaz, University of Arizona, and Joshua Frank, The University of Texas at Austin

9:00 - 9:30 Measuring the Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency of Written Production in Arabic
Michael Raish, Georgetown University

9:30 - 10:00 Using a Social Technology Tool to Enhance Collaborative Self-reflection among AFL Student-teachers
Raghda El Essawi, American University in Cairo

10:00 - 10:15 Coffee Break

SYNTAX & MORPHOSYNTAX
10:15 - 10:45 The processing of Agreement Morphology in Native, Heritage, and L2 Arabic
Rebecca Foote and Eman Saadah, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

10:45 - 11:15 Arabic L2 Learners’ Use of Word Order and Subject-Verb Agreement for Actor Role Assignment
Jamil Al-Thawahrih, University of Utah

11:15 - 11:45 Relative Clause Attachment in Native and L2 Arabic
Abdelaadim Bidaoui, Ball state University

11:45 - 12:15 How Do Communication Problems Direct American learners of Arabic to Notice Syntax and Morphology?
Ahmed A. Alsaghiar, Kent State University

12:15 - 2:15 Lunch Break

HERITAGE LEARNERS
2:15 - 2:45 Assessing and Predicting Heritage Arabic Speakers’ Proficiencies in Standard Arabic
Abdulkafi Albirini, Utah State University

2:45 - 3:15 Linguistic Landscape in Dearborn, Michigan: Ethical Concerns
Camelia Suleiman, Michigan State University

3:15 - 3:45 Maintaining Heritage Arabic: The Effect of Age of Acquisition on Concept Mediation in Heritage Bilinguals
Iyad Ghanim, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

3:45 - 4:15 Performing Lived Experiences: An Analysis of Arabic Heritage Speakers’ Narratives in Two Languages
Brahim Chakrani, Michigan State University

4:15 - 4:45 One Size Fits All? Exploring Heritage and Non-heritage Language Learner Performance in UK GCSE Arabic Exams
Anna-Maria Ramezanzadeh, University of Oxford

Useful links:
Conference Program:
https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/arabic-sla-conference/program-schedule/ 

Conference Accommodation Information:
https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/arabic-sla-conference/accommodations/

Conference registration is free. To attend, please register, using the following link:
https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/arabic-sla-conference/registration/

Call for Submissions Deadline: April 10, 2016

The American Association of Teachers of Arabic (AATA) invites members and other professionals in the field of Arabic teaching to submit proposals for participation in a panel on “Arabic Foreign Language Pedagogy: Current and Innovative Techniques.” The panel will take place in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) on Thursday, November 17, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. Presentations will focus on current or innovative techniques and demonstration of such techniques in developing the language skills as well as the teaching of the various language components.

• Possible topics may include, but need not be limited to, the following:
• techniques of teaching any of the four basic language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing,
• techniques of teaching any of the language components: pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar
• techniques of teaching Arabic literature
• techniques of teaching Arabic Culture
• use of state of the art technology in teaching Arabic.

While either English or Arabic can be used, panelists are strongly encouraged to deliver their presentation in Arabic.  Please send your proposal to aata-panel@outlook.com by April 10, 2016. Your proposal should be 250 words. Notification of acceptance will be sent by April 25.

Second Call for Papers:

You are invited to submit proposals for presentation at the International
Conference:

"Investigating Arabic Second Language Learning: Empirical Findings and Trends"

to be held at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, September 24-25, 2016:

https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/arabic-sla-conference/ 

The conference is an open forum for scholars interested in exploring empirically the different aspects of Arabic second/foreign language learning within current approaches, including:

Formal (generative, functional, typological) Cognitive (processability, attention, noticing and awareness) Input-based (input processing, input, interaction and output) Frequency and usage-based

Corpus-based
Sociocultural
Sociocognitive
Language socialization
Neurobiological
Discourse, Conversation, or Pragmatic
Code-switching
Diglossia
Ideology
Identity

Topics can also deal with the theory and practice of Arabic second/foreign language teaching. Encouraged topics include but not limited to:

Application of classroom approaches or specific techniques to teach language skills and components (speaking, listening, reading, writing, culture, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation) Technology-mediated learning and teaching Local versus study-abroad environment
L1 transfer in L2 acquisition
L2 transfer in L3 acquisition
L2 maintenance and attrition
Learning strategies
Individual differences and external variables (aptitude, anxiety, attitude, distance, and motivation) Learner’s perception Accuracy Fluency Foreign language testing Second language acquisition-testing interface Heritage learners Teacher education

Confirmed keynote speakers:

Prof. Bill VanPatten, Michigan State University <https://sites.google.com/site/bvpsla/> 

Prof. Sami Boudelaa, University of UAE & Cambridge University <http://www.chss.uaeu.ac.ae/en/profile/profile.shtml?email=s.boudelaa> 

Prof. Lotfi Sayahi, University at Albany – SUNY <http://www.albany.edu/llc/faculty_lsayahi.shtml> 

Languages of the conference:
English and Arabic

Abstract submission:
To present a paper, an abstract is required. To submit an abstract, please visit the following site:

https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/arabic-sla-conference/submissions/ 

Deadline for Receipt of Abstracts:
February 28, 2016

Notification of abstract acceptance:
March 30, 2016

Publication:
Following the conference, papers which are recommended by external peer reviewers will be published in a book under contract with Routledge.

Co-Sponsors at U-M:

Department of Near Eastern Studies <https://www.lsa.umich.edu/neareast> 

Department of Linguistics <http://www.lsa.umich.edu/linguistics/> 

CMENAS <http://www.ii.umich.edu/cmenas/> 

Institute for the Humanities <https://www.lsa.umich.edu/humanities> 

Inquiries:
Please contact the conference organizer, Prof. Mohammad Alhawary:
abuamr@umich.edu