Parallels and differences in the revival of modern hebrew and modern standard arabic

We show how linguistic grammars of two different yet related languages can be developed and implemented in parallel, with language-independent fragments serving as shared resources, and language-specific ones defined separately for each language. The two grammars in the focus of this paper are of Modern Hebrew and Modern Standard Arabic, and the basic infrastructure, or core, of the grammars is based on "standard" HPSG. We identify four types of relations that exist between the grammars of two languages and demonstrate how the different types of relations can be implemented in parallel grammars with maximally shared resources. The examples pertain to the grammars of Modern Hebrew and Modern Standard Arabic, yet similar issues and considerations are applicable to other pairs of languages that have some degree of similarity.

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Joshua Blau. The Renaissance of Modern Hebrew and Modern Standard Arabic—Parallels and Differences in the Revival of Two Semitic Languages. University of California Publications, Near Eastern Studies. Volume 18, 1981. 260 pages.

Middle East Studies Association Bulletin ◽

10.1017/s0026318400011780 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 36-38

Keyword(s):

University Of California ◽

Modern Standard Arabic ◽

Semitic Languages ◽

Near Eastern ◽

Standard Arabic ◽

Modern Hebrew ◽

Near Eastern Studies ◽

Modern Standard

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The effects of motivation on processing instruction in the acquisition of Modern Standard Arabic gender agreement

Instructed Second Language Acquisition ◽

10.1558/isla.34879 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 61-82

Author(s):

Ayah Farhat ◽

Alessandro Benati

Keyword(s):

Academic Motivation ◽

Processing Instruction ◽

Gender Agreement ◽

Modern Standard Arabic ◽

Language Background ◽

Standard Arabic ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Sentence Level ◽

Post Test ◽

Modern Standard

The present study investigates the effects of motivation and processing instruction on the acquisition of Modern Standard Arabic gender agreement. The role of individual differences (e.g. age, gender, aptitude, language background and working memory) on the positive effects generated by processing instruction has been investigated in the last few years. However, no previous research has been conducted to measure the possible effects of motivation on L2 learners exposed to processing instruction. In addition, a reasonable question to be addressed within the processing instruction research framework is whether its positive effects can be generalised to the acquisition of Modern Standard Arabic. The Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and the Attitude Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) motivation questionnaires were used to capture different variables that influence motivation in order to create the two different groups (high and low motivated). In this experimental study, forty-one native English school-age learners (aged 8–11) were assigned to two groups: ‘the high motivated group’ (n = 29): and the ‘low motivated group’ (n = 12). Both groups received processing instruction, which lasted for three hours. Sentence-level interpretation and production tasks were used in a pre-test and post-test design to measure instructional effects. The learners were required to fill in gaps in both written and spoken mode for the activities. The study also included a delayed post-test administered to the two groups four weeks later. The results indicated that both groups improved equally from pre-test to post-test in all assessment measures and they both retained the positive effects of the training in the delayed posttests. Processing instruction was proved to be the main factor for the improvement in performance regardless of the learner’s level of motivation.

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