The Nihal European University in Sudan

In the framework of the Section for Semitic Languages of the Department of Linguistics of the Nihal European University in Sudan the first and only degree programme to be offered at the BA and MA level will be Arabic Languages. Later additions could include the introduction of a concentration in “Semitic Linguistics” that would deal with other Semitic languages besides Arabic, such as Aramaic, Ethiopian or Hebrew. Another concentration could be “Linguistics of the Islamic Cultural World” which would treat not only Arabic but also languages such as Farsi or Ottoman.

All of the subjects in this Section would be understood in their orientation as primarily studies in language and literature, i.e. they would be analogous to subjects such as German Studies, English Studies or Romance Studies. In the process however area studies and religious studies will also be a component in such concentrations.

The establishment of a concentration in Arabic Studies parallel to the other linguistic concentrations in the area of European and African languages will thus accommodate the Arabisation movement found throughout the Arab world and supported officially by the Sudanese government. The Nihal European University in Sudan would in this manner be able to show its respect toward the world of Arabic culture – whereas the failure to establish such a concentration would hurt feelings in the Arab world and would in certain circumstances make the university appear to be a European foreign body in Sudan. But establishing such a concentration cannot be justified on political grounds alone. Rather the cultural significance of the Arabic language is itself sufficient reason for the existence of this concentration in the research and teaching of a university such as the Nihal European University in Sudan which has its home in the Arab cultural sphere.

The concentration of Arabic Studies, as already mentioned, is a degree programme primarily involved with language and literary studies. In its spectrum of languages the field includes the study of formal Modern Standard Arabic, the Classic Arabic used in the Koran and the different Arabic dialects. “Standard Arabic” is after all a form of writing that generally is not used for daily speech. In vernacular speech local dialects are employed that can vary from one another because of non-Arabic influences which vary from place to place. Thus in Sudan alone there are many mixed forms of Arabic and African language.

In addition the concentrations in the discipline of Arabic Studies contain strong area studies and religious studies components. In area studies this does not only include Sudan but also the entire Arab region with its history and culture. In the area of religious studies it is dedicated particularly to Islam and its cultural history.

The Major Concentration

Besides courses to reinforce their skills in Modern Standard Arabic students will also have to study at least two Arabic dialects. One of the dialects should be that of an Arabic minority in Sudan and the other a dialect spoken outside of Sudan. The study of additional dialects of Arabic is optional.

The degree programme consists of the following required courses:

• Introduction to Arabic Languages
• Phonetics and Phonology
• Morphology and Syntax
• Semantics
• Lexicology
• Sociolinguistics
• Ethnolinguistics
• Practicum
• Field research
• History of Sudan and the Arab world
• Effects of Linguistic Contact on Standard Arabic and the Dialects
• The Study of Islam
• Oral Literature

The linguistic training in particular dialects should occur in the following types of courses:

• Beginning Course
• Advanced Course
• Grammar
• Vocabulary
• Conversation
• Practical Principles
• Area Studies

The major concentration in Arabic Studies can be combined with minor concentrations in the Economics and Sociology Faculty or in the Department of Media Studies and Communication Design or with a minor concentration in African Studies.

The Minor Concentration

The minor in Arabic Studies can in principle be combined with all the subjects offered, but here a special attraction should obtain for non-Arab students who will be looking for future professions in contact with the Arab world.

In addition to a general focus on Arabic language, literature and culture the Section for Semitic Languages of the Nihal European University in Sudan wishes to create a site for research and study of Arabic dialects, promoting their archiving and documentation. Here a focus of the work will be on researching the dialects of Arab minorities such as certain Bedouin tribes. We will focus on the following areas of research:

• Linguistic research
• Language documentation; the compilation of corpora; classification of languages; further clarification of the linguistic situation
• Language maintenance
• Field research; data collection; direct interviews with native speakers in the state of Khartoum where many settled in the wake of migration
• Language contact; language transformation; the influence of local languages on Arabic dialects; phenomena of language contact between Sudanese dialects and cultural contact among the cultures indigenous to the Sudan; history and Islamisation of the Sudan; migration; geographic distribution of the dialects
• Sociolinguistics
• Ethnolinguistics
• Orally transmitted literature; documentation of the Sudan in poetry, prose, drama, drum language and folk music; the recording and creating of text anthologies of native literature; translation of previously recorded texts
• Computational linguistics
• Extinct and ancient languages; Sudanese cultural history and Arab history generally

In all of these efforts we will strive for cooperation with the Institute for Cultures Indigenous to the Sudan and with the Institute for Cultural Pluralism and Intercultural Communication.

On the basis of data for similar departments and degree programmes we can assume that teaching and research in this section will require approximately six lecturers at various levels, four teaching assistants and seven to ten adjuncts with smaller loads for the courses on different Arabic dialects. The requirements for space ought to be approximately 600 m², while equipment should also be provided for establishing one or two language laboratories.