A Resource for Research and Learning
Project Director: Dr. Samira Farwaneh (U Arizona) [In collaboration with the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research(CALPER) at Pennsylvania State University]
Description: This project developed an extensive Arabic learner corpus comprising numerous written samples produced by L2 and heritage students, collected over 15 years of teaching. They were transcribed into a database with cross-referenced categories according to level (beginning, intermediate, advanced), learner (L2 vs. heritage), and genre (description, narration, instruction). The corpus serves as a source of empirical data for hypothesis testing as well as a resource for developing materials for teaching Arabic. A Spring 2010 workshop/demonstration took place at the Western Consortium of Middle East National Resource Centers’ Language Workshop.