The Arab Journal of Applied Linguistics serves as a platform for scholars to share their research findings related to the linguistic situation in the Arab world and the global presence of Arabic. In a dedicated special issue, scholars explored the phonological, morphological, and lexical development among children, largely of Arab origin. The contributors aim to transcend geopolitical barriers and embrace the specificities of the Arabic language while contributing to reinforcing pluralism across languages and among language speakers.
The special issue addresses children's acquisition of various varieties of Arabic, including Yemeni-Ibbi, Egyptian, Qatari, and Modern Standard Arabic. This draws attention to the variation and complexity of a language that is diglossic and mainly synthetic. The interest in the linguistic development of Arab children with specific language impairment is particularly timely, with emphasis on advancing effective diagnostics and treatment methods.
The comparison between studies of typically developing children and those with atypical development acquiring different languages reflects a commitment to position research on Arabic and Arabic speakers in global research. Furthermore, the contributors emphasize the need to develop adequate teaching strategies and techniques that consider the idiosyncrasies of spoken and written Arabic, especially in the context of literacy development among learners of Modern Standard Arabic.
The scholars highlight the need for further research on the acquisition of local varieties of Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic, particularly focusing on the interface between these two levels of diglossia. They advocate for conducting more longitudinal studies of children's phonological and morpho-syntactic progression from the babbling stage to the holophrastic stage, up to the sentence stage. Additionally, there is a call to approach children's utterances as performatives taking place in different encounters, reflecting their socio-cognitive development and psychological states.
The special issue features contributions from erudite scholars teaching and conducting research at prestigious universities and research centers globally, demonstrating a commitment to the study and learning of Arabic. The editorial board expresses gratitude to all those who trusted the journal with their research work and hopes that this special issue will inspire readers to generate high-quality research for publication in the journal.