Learning to speak Arabic, one of the world's oldest languages, can open a window to a new culture, assist business negotiations and make travel and leisure experiences more rewarding.
The University of Hong Kong (HKU), the only university in the city to offer Arabic language courses, provides a curriculum for beginners, intermediates and advanced language students. The introductory course aims to teach beginners the basics of Arabic in the four linguistic skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will also be introduced to Arabic and Islamic culture.
Mohamed Salah Eldin Abbas, Arabic programme director at the HKU's school of modern languages and cultures, says vocabulary and grammar is presented in a communicative way using social contexts to make the lessons interesting and lively.
Students learn to express themselves in a variety of situations. For example, making introductions, giving directions, buying items and making telephone calls. Emphasis is focused on the spoken language and proving a foundation for basic Arabic writing.
Abbas says HKU's Arabic-language students fall into several categories: those looking to add Arabic to their studies as a minor degree; people either working for or hoping to work for Middle East companies; and those wishing to travel around the Middle East or learn more about Arabic culture. A minor in Arabic consists of 24 credits of second and third-year courses, plus the applicable first year prerequisites.
'Arabic is not an easy language to learn but, like any language, if you are committed and allocate the time steady progress can be made,' Abbas says. To encourage more Hongkongers to learn Arabic, the Saudi Arabian government is planning to sponsor students by paying the course fees.
Abbas says Arabic is spoken by nearly 300 million people in more than 20 countries throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Furthermore, because Arabic is the language of the Koran, millions of Muslims in other countries speak it as well.