This seminar is available to all students. It is recommended for students interested in Semitic Languages, Persian and Turkish, linguistic structures generally, Middle Eastern Studies, and Language / Culture connections.

This course will examine the languages of the Middle East in relation to their historical, social, cultural, political, and literary contexts. A large part of the course will be on linguistic structures, including phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax, focusing on the four Middle Eastern languages which are designated official national languages: Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish.  No knowledge of these languages or background in linguistics is expected; all linguistic concepts will be taught in our course.  

Topics will be selected from the following: profile of the languages of the Middle East (Arabic, Aramaic, Berber, Coptic, Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, Turkish and others) and their speakers; the linguistic structures of Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish; use of languages in various domains, such as conversation, religion, literature, business, media, education; languages in contact: bilingualism and linguistic borrowing, effects of colonialism; cultural norms in language: kinship vocabulary, speech acts, naming practices, politeness, greetings; minority languages: their use, preservation and/or decline; gender issues in language use; writing systems; language policy in colonial times and after independence.