The Arabic Language

Audio/Video

This section contains video and audio materials, most of which have not appeared online before. While we have made an effort to keep the file sizes and running times small, some of the clips may take a long time to download, particularly from a dialup connection. Each clip comes with a text description, and many of the interviews have been transcribed. To view clips on our site, you will need the free QuickTime plugin

Collections of related audio and video materials are listed in tan. Items listed in grey are in the process of being digitized, and will be available soon.

QuickTime Audio and Video Clips

Presentation by Mahmoud al-Batal [Video Clip: 11.5 M]
In this lecture Professor Mahmoud Al-Batal of Emory University discusses the connection between Arabic and Islam, its use as a religious language, and the fact that Muslims view it as a sacred language. He also discusses the importance of this connection   more...

Presentation by Kristen Brustad ( part 1) [Video Clip: 1.6 M]
In this presentation Professor Kristen Brustad of emory University addresses the origins of Arabic and some basic characteristics of the language that it shares with other Semitic languages, particularly the root system on which Arabic words are based   more...

Presentation by Kristen Brustad ( Part 2 ) [Video Clip: 13.2 M]
In this portion of the presentation, Professor Kristen Brustad addresses the role of Arabic in the world today, the area in which it is spoken, and the “diglossia” between Classical Arabic and dialectal Arabic. She talks in some detail about the   more...

Interview with Alaa Elgibali [Video Clip: 23.1 M]
In this interview Nabil Abdelfattah discusses the Arabic language with Alaa Elgibali, a linguistics professor at the Arabic Language Institute of the American University in Cairo. Issues addressed are the importance of the language in Arabic culture   more...

Interview with El-Said Badawi [Video Clip: 24.3 M]
El Said Badawi, Director of the Arabic Language Institute at the American University in Cairo talks about the Arabic language in this interview with Nabil Abdelfattah. He discusses the importance of Arabic in the world today, its relationship to the   more...

Interview with Rachid Aadnani [Audio Clip: 13.7 M]
In this interview Rachid Aadnani, who teaches Arabic Language and Literature at Wellesley College, discusses the relationships between the varying forms of Arabic, from dialectal to the Classical, as well as the interaction between Arabic and other languages   more...