The impact of multilingualism on Arabic language teaching discourse

RESEARCH ARTICLE The impact of multilingualism on Arabic language teaching discourse Sghir Fatima \ \ \ \ Doctor University Centre of Maghnia Algeria Email: Arras Zaima Dr. University Centre of Maghnia Algeria Email: < Doi Serial                    Keywords Language, discourse, educational discourse, multilingualism, Arabic language.

Sghir F., Arras Z. (2025). The impact of multilingualism on Arabic language teaching discourse. Science, Education and Innovations in the Context of Modern Problems, 8(7), 438-447; doi:10.56352/sei/8.7.47.

From the perspective of scientists and philosophers, language is an important means of communication between members of society, through which understanding and coexistence are achieved, and through which ideas, feelings and opinions are expressed; therefore, they have been studying it since ancient times, a scientific and philosophical study that has achieved many results in the light of many theories, revealing its nature and defining its characteristics

In the modern era, interest in language continued under the umbrella of a new science that took the linguistic phenomenon as a subject of study, namely linguistics, which studied the human language by adopting various methods, including the historical method, the descriptive method, the comparative method, the comparative method and others: The historical approach, the descriptive approach, the comparative approach, the comparative approach, and other approaches, which made the results of research characterized by scientificity, accuracy and objectivity, but the presentation of a single and specific concept of language remained elusive, perhaps because language is related to many fields of knowledge, such as psychology. This made the research results characterized by scientificity, accuracy and objectivity. However, presenting a single and specific concept of language remained unattainable, and the reason for this may lie in its connection with many fields of knowledge such as psychology, sociology and philosophy, which made the perceptions about it vary and differ, and consequently the number and variety of concepts

” Language is an acquired psychosocial-cultural phenomenon rather than a biological trait inherent to the individual, consisting of a set of linguistic phonetic symbols, acquired by experiencing established meanings in the mind, and with this phonetic symbolic system a group can understand and interact” (1)

It is clear from the definition that human language relates to the individual in his psychological, social and cultural aspect, after he acquires its symbols within a certain group that he is familiar with in communication.

There is no doubt that the primary function of the human tongue lies in communication and communication, and this function has not only been defined by modern linguistic studies, but also by ancient linguistic scholars, beginning with Ibn Janni (d. 322 AH), who is rumored to have said: “As for their boundaries, they are sounds, with which every people express their purposes.” (2) This same connotation is referred to by the author of the definitions book, saying: “It is everything by which every people express their purposes ” (3).

While Ibn Jinni restricted the concept of language to phonetic symbols, al-Sharif al-Jarjani gave it a comprehensive concept that does not stop at phonetic symbols, but everything that can lead and reveal the meaning, such as communication by gesture, for example.

The efforts of researchers in linguistics did not stop at this limit in caring for language, but their efforts have yielded a number of linguistic sub-sciences that have been working on the linguistic phenomenon as a tool of creativity, and we have the science of style, the science of the sign, and the science of text as a shining example of this, without neglecting to mention the field of discourse analysis, which came to approach all forms of discourse, whether oral or written.

• 2.    Discourse and educational discourse in the linguistics literature

• 2.1.    The concept of educational discourse

The term discourse, from the linguistic point of view, is clearly defined in the Arabic language dictionaries, which are almost unanimous on one concept, as it comes from the linguistic material (KH T B), which means in the Arabic language “reviewing speech, and he addressed him with speech and discourse ...”( 4).

Among the linguistic definitions in which the linguistic concept of discourse is consistent with the terminological concept, according to Al-Misbah Al-Munir, “He addressed him with a speech, which is the speech between a speaker and a hearer.” (5).

It is clear from the definition that discourse requires two important elements two important elements: The speaker as the sender of the message, and the hearer as the receiver . This is emphasized by most linguists who have been interested in studying discourse. However, we find in this regard many concepts defining the truth of discourse, and this abundance is due to the different perceptions of those interested in it. As we can see in this definition, “Discourse is a term synonymous with speech (Parole) according to Saussure's structural linguistic view, and literary discourse according to Morris ... It is a linguistic unit produced by the speaker, which goes beyond the dimensions of the sentence or message according to Harris.” ( 6 ) .

Linguistics has drawn attention with its many and varied researches of discourse to its various forms, such as literary discourse, religious discourse, philosophical discourse, historical discourse, legal discourse, and advertising discourse: Literary discourse, religious discourse, philosophical discourse, historical discourse, legal discourse, advertising discourse , and even educational discourse.

In this research, it is worthwhile to look at the term “ educational discourse ” to identify its precise concept, especially in the face of the frequency of similar terms such as educational discourse and classroom discourse . Before that, we must recognize the pioneering role that applied linguistics (Linguistique appliquée) has played in the field of language education ; it has touched the elements of the teaching-learning process ( teacher- learner-content ) and raised fundamental issues related to the mother tongue and the second language, in addition to serious topics such as language planning and language policy, not to mention language acquisition and language interference. interlingualism and multilingualism.

The “ educational discourse ” has received a great deal of attention from researchers in the fields of linguistics and education, often exceeding the attention given to other forms of discourse; this is because educational discourse t argets young people at all stages of their education, and seeks to prepare and form them mentally and emotionally.

Many academic researches and studies, represented by published scientific articles and national and international symposiums, aimed at clarifying its nature, characteristics and types, while noting its importance in the conduct of the teaching-learning process. Thanks to these scientific efforts, the concept of educational discourse has been defined and its differences from other forms have been identified. Perhaps Dr. Saleh Belaid is one of the linguists who addressed it as an important research topic in applied linguistics: “It is all the oral or written documents produced by the pedagogue, which has characteristics and distinctions, including being interactive and instructive” (7 ).

It is clear from the statement that “educational discourse” is a spoken or written message, produced by the teacher and addressed to the learner for a guiding and interactive purpose, its scientific material is transformed into educational material, according to Nouara Bouayad: “a discourse in which scientific material is transformed into educational material”. (8)

It seems that by returning to the concepts presented by researchers regarding the educational discourse, they agree that it is a discourse governed by a set of characteristics and features, the first of which is the presence of the other in it, meaning that the educational discourse is formed from other texts, which may be scientific or literary texts from other discourses, from which the teacher draws his educational material that he presents to his learners, which is why Joseph Melanson considered it a parasitic discourse that feeds on the meanings of other discours. (9)

Melanson's use of the word “parasite” to characterize the educational discourse does not detract from its value, as he is referring to the dependence of the educational discourse on other discourses that are, for him, a rich source of knowledge. .

In this regard, we must refer to other terms that are used alongside the term educational discourse, namely: Scientific discourse and educational discourse, and this prompts us to enumerate its characteristics and identify its distinctive features, because recognizing them makes us successful in distinguishing it from them. .

We say that the educational discourse is a classroom discourse, which is necessary for the progress of the teaching-learning process between the two main parties, where the teacher is the producer of this discourse, while the learner is the recipient of it, relying on the skill of listening and understanding in order to absorb its content, which emphasizes the predominance of oral communication.

Others limit educational discourse to the laws, regulations, and pronouncements that result from the strategy used to manage educational affairs and issues.

From the above, it is clear that the three terms are interconnected: Educational discourse, scientific discourse, and educational discourse, because educational discourse derives its content from the scientific material of scientific discourse and transforms it into simplified educational material, while at the same time it cannot be stripped of the system of values and principles adopted by the philosophy of society, in addition to being a discourse subject to the authority of laws and regulations issued by the guardian authorities in the field of education. (10)

The overlap between these three modes does not make the educational discourse lose its specificity based on a well-defined strategy.

• 2.2.    Strategy of the educational discourse

The strategy of the educational discourse is determined by the conditions that must be met by the two main elements that contribute to its production, namely the teacher and the learner.

Since the teacher has the primary role in the production of the educational discourse, he is required to observe the following conditions:

• 1)      The use of the mother tongue and its perpetuation in the classroom.

• 2)       Seeking to develop the learner's linguistic ability to understand and use the language.

• 3)       Strengthening the basic language learning skills of reading, writing, and expression: Reading, writing, and

expression.

• 4)      Encourage the learner to speak the mother tongue in his/her educational environment.

• 5)       Strictly adhere to the rules regarding the indiscriminate use of the language.

• 3.    The concept of multilingualism

  Multilingualism is an important linguistic research topic that has emerged from sociolinguistic studies along with a number of similar terms such as interlingualism, linguistic evolution, linguistic hybridization and linguistic conflict , all of which 442 – www.imcra.az.org , | Issue 7, Vol. 8, 2025

It must be noted here that a teacher is able to adhere to these conditions and work with them, if he is linguistically competent and skilled , as well as practically and pedagogically competent, which is provided to him by reading scientific research related to education and pedagogy. by reading scientific research related to education and pedagogy in order to exploit their results in the field, especially those related to applied linguistics in the field of language education.

We also point out that the learner is not without some conditions, as he is the second main party in the teaching-learning process; in order for interaction to take place in the classroom, and for the communication process to take place well, he must be able and competent to achieve understanding and assimilation, because, as we know, the educational discourse is a communicative knowledge discourse par excellence.

It is worth mentioning that the importance of the educational discourse is not only limited to conveying the study material to the learner, but it also contributes to activating the process of using the language in a way that is compatible with its linguistic system, so that it is embedded in the learner's mind in a conscious manner, allowing him to achieve an important amount of knowledge, knowing that this amount of knowledge about the language will become more immune when the learner's surroundings are warm and friendly. This knowledge about language will be further strengthened when the learner's surroundings are monolingual*, i.e. the more the language of the surroundings is the language of learning, the more effective and useful it will be in empowering the learner with his language. Here, we have the right to question the level of language acquisition of learners who live in an environment characterized by multilingualism, whether they are immigrants or residents of their homeland. What are the effects of multilingualism on the educational discourse of the Arabic language?

Before going on to describe the nature of the educational discourse of the Arabic language and the impact of multilingualism on it, we must clarify what is meant by multilingualism.

The impact of multilingualism on Arabic language teaching discourse

Sghir Fatima, Arras Zaima have clear connotations, reflecting the changes that occur in the human language as a result of friction between members of human societies.

According to the Unified Dictionary of Linguistic Terms: “Plurilinguisme, the use of more than one language within a country, and a linguistic policy based on the principle of multilingualism and parity between languages within a country or group.” (11)

It is clear from the definition that the term multilingualism is used to denote the use of several languages by the people of one country, and on the other hand, it expresses the principle of pluralism that a society may adopt in its linguistic policy.

Because the phenomenon of multilingualism has affected most countries to such an extent that it no longer poses an embarrassment to its members in the process of communication, it has attracted the attention of Western and Arab scholars, who have presented many concepts about it, including what Western researchers gave us, according to Pierre Achar (P. Achar) : “The phenomenon of multilingualism indicates a society that recognizes the existence and coexistence of two or more languages in order to secure the communication needs of the members of the group.” (12)

The concept refers to the idea of coexistence between multiple languages within a single society, ruling out the possibility of a linguistic conflict between them. According to Julliette Garmadi: “Bilingualism or multilingualism is the use of two or more systems by speakers”. (13)

Garmadi's combination of bilingualism and multilingualism does not mean that the two terms are synonymous. Bilingualism refers to the use of an official national language, such as classical Arabic in Algerian society, which is used only in educational institutions and some government departments, along with colloquial Arabic, which is widely used in the community.

If we come to the Arab researchers, they, in turn, agree that multilingualism is the use of an individual or a group of individuals for more than one language, provided that the use is oral in a high proportion compared to the use in writing, and such a view is supported by Saleh Belaid in his book Psycholinguistics. (14)

These concepts that we have presented unanimously agree that multilingualism is a social phenomenon, strongly prevalent in all countries of the world, according to which an individual becomes proficient in more than one language system, either voluntarily, when the individual voluntarily decides to use several languages after learning them, or as a result of contact with others who speak a language other than his or her own.

There is no doubt that the phenomenon of multilingualism is driven by a number of reasons that led to its spread in human societies. The reason that concerns us here is migration, so how can migration be a factor that leads to multilingualism?

• 4.    Migration is a strong factor in multilingualism

• 5.    Arabic Language Teaching Discourse in the Shadow of Multilingualism

Migration is a manifestation of population change as a result of the transformation that the world has witnessed in the economic field, after the progress achieved by many countries in the field of industrialization, job opportunities were abundant, which motivated individuals to migrate to those countries.

Migration is the process of moving from one country of origin to another for some purpose, which may be work, education, or permanent residence. With this move, languages also move from one region to another; this is because the migrant individual migrates to a country with his native language, and when he resides in the country to which he migrated, he comes into contact with its people who speak a language other than his own, so it becomes necessary for him to use this language in order to achieve the process of communication. This makes it necessary for him to use this language in order to achieve the process of communication, and thus he becomes a multilingual individual as a result of mixing between his mother tongue and his second language during communication. This fact is not evidenced by what we see on the tongues of Algerian immigrants residing in countries such as France, America, Canada, Britain, and Switzerland.

The Arabic language is an ancient human language that belongs to the family of Semitic languages. It contributed in the past to building human civilization by transferring the sciences and knowledge of ancient nations such as Greece, India, and Persia, absorbing these scientific achievements and adding to them what its people reached as a result of their intellectual work in various fields of knowledge.

The Arabic language has become a global language, having conquered many regions of the world, and has become the language of more than 422 million people. The main reason for this spread is that it is the language of the Islamic religion, which is practiced by about two billion of the world's population. (16)

Nevertheless, there are many challenges it faces, the most important of which is keeping up with the achievements of the technological revolution and absorbing innovative knowledge in order to teach it to its children using its own language system and not through foreign languages.

The Arabic language faces many linguistic manifestations, such as bilingualism and bilingualism, in addition to multilingualism, so what are its effects on its educational discourse?

The learner enters the educational institution, accustomed to the linguistic system of his native language. If he wants to learn the Arabic language in order to master it, a number of obstacles prevent this, primarily related to the nature of the language used in the communication process between the teacher and the learner, and this prompts us to diagnose the reality of the Arabic language within educational institutions and the nature of its educational discourse.

There is no doubt that the educational discourse of the Arabic language requires the use of the classical language by both sides of the educational process (teacher and learner), but the prevailing linguistic reality in society prevents the consolidation of this use, whether on the part of the teacher, who often resorts to different linguistic systems such as colloquialism, under the pretext of communicating information to the learner and simplifying it for him. On the part of the teacher, who often resorts to different linguistic systems such as colloquialism, under the pretext of communicating information to the learner and simplifying it for him.

The hybridity of the educational discourse of the Arabic language is also evident in the language of the learner, who avoids interacting with his teacher and classmates using Classical Arabic, resulting in a hybrid language whose material is a mixture of colloquial and foreign languages.

Learning and mastering the Arabic language requires a pure educational discourse, and this can only be achieved by using it as the only tool in the learning process, because if the opposite happens, chaos will prevail in its educational discourse, which will negatively affect its learning, and in general, these negatives can be summarized in the following points:

• a.       The linguistic system of the Arabic language overlaps with that of other languages.

• b.       The prevalence of errors while writing in Arabic.

• c.       The prevalence of pronunciation defects and speech diseases such as stuttering and stuttering, as well as

stumbling in the pronunciation of Arabic sounds.

• d.       Loss of linguistic identity on the tongues of Arabic-speaking learners, where speech is a mixture of Arabic and

foreign words, in addition to borrowed words.

Many researchers have stated the effects of the multilingualism that accompanies the educational discourse of the Arabic language, because “the multilingualism experienced by the learner is directly responsible for the stumbling and linguistic regression in his linguistic acquisitions and achievements.” (17).

According to what has been said, the disadvantages of multilingualism are reflected on the learner in the first place, and from him to the language as his learning tool. Therefore, the learner of the Arabic language in a linguistic environment characterized by multilingualism is unable to absorb that multilingualism, due to the excessive mental burden of multiple linguistic systems, not to mention the confusion that afflicts his thoughts, which causes his academic level to deteriorate. This bitter truth is confirmed by the profile of Arabic language learners, as we distinguish in them the lack of control over the basic language skills of reading, writing and expression, in addition to the weakness that accompanies them in the field of grammar and lexical richness.

Despite these many negatives that result from the spread of the phenomenon of multilingualism, we do not deny its positive side, which is often hinted at by research that sees “multilingualism as a central issue that occupies the attention of many researchers, due to its positive and negative effects, as it may be a way to keep pace with the scientific and technological progress that the age is witnessing. It may be a way to keep pace with the scientific and technological progress witnessed by the era, or it may have negative effects that affect the national and cultural identity, and extend to affect the school curricula and the levels of language education.(18)

It is clear from the statement that although multilingualism has many negative effects due to its negative impact on the issue of identity and its great impact on the curriculum, its advantages cannot be overlooked, including:

• -        Communication with people of different languages.

• -         B- Openness to the intellectual and cultural achievements of nations.

• -         C- Learning foreign languages enhances technological knowledge.

In light of the above, we wonder how to reconcile the negative aspects of multilingualism, which weaken our Arabic language skills, with the positives that allow interaction and communication with the rest of the world. We can only find a solution to this issue by adopting good planning for the issue of learning the mother tongue, so that its educational discourse is separated from any other linguistic system, and the acquisition of second languages is opened only after the learner is proficient in his native language (Arabic).

Therefore, we recommend that Arabic language teachers should be sensitized to the importance of using a single-system instructional discourse, while encouraging learners to use it during the communication and interaction process.

Notes:

• (1)    - Language between jurisprudence, science and philosophy, a historical and conceptual approach, Mohammed Ben Sbaa, Department of Philosophy, University of Constantine, p. 127.

• (2)    - Characteristics, Ibn Jinni, ed: Abdelhakim Ben Mohammed, c. 1, Tawfiqiya Library, D. I., D. T., p. 44.

• (3)    - Book of Definitions, Al-Sharif Al-Jarjani, Al-Khairiya Press, Cairo, 1st edition, 1985, p. 83.

• (4)    - Lassan Al-Arab, Ibn Mansour, Article Khattab, Dar Al-Maarif, Cairo, 2008, p. 1194.

• (5)    - Al-Musbah Al-Munir, Ali Al-Fayoumi, ed: Yahya Murad, Al-Mukhtar Foundation, 1st edition, 2008, p. 106.

• (6)    - Stylistics in Modern Arabic Criticism - A Study in Discourse Analysis, Farhan Badri Al-Harbi, University Foundation for Publishing and Distribution, 1st edition, 2003, pp. 39-40.

• (7)    - Lessons in Applied Linguistics, Saleh Belaid, Dar Houma, Algeria, 3rd edition, pp. 77-78.

( 8)- The concept of university educational and scientific discourse, Nouara Bouayad, Al-Tabeen Magazine, no: 17, April, 2001, p. 26.

• (9)    - See: Ibid, p. 26.

• (10)    - See: The educational discourse between presence and absence in the Algerian school, Arabic language books, the second generation, the intermediate education stage as a model, Hamida Bakhti, Al-Muqri Journal of Linguistic and Applied Studies, M4, no: 1, 2021, p. 84.

* Monolingualism is a modern term, born out of linguistic studies, and represents a characteristic of countries or societies that have been proven to use a single language, see: Ecology of World Languages, tr: Patsy Gamaleldin, Louis John Calvet, Supreme Council of Culture, Cairo, 2004, p. 13.

• (11)    - Unified Dictionary of Linguistic Terms, Arab League Educational and Cultural Organization, D. I., D. T., p. 14.

• (12)    - Sociology of Language, Pierre Achard, Manshurat Oweidat, Beirut, Lebanon, T1, 1996, p. 49.

• (13)    - Sociolinguistics, Juliette Garmadi, trans: Khalil Ahmed Khalil, Dar Al-Tali'ah for Printing and Publishing, Beirut, T1, 1990, p. 115.

• (14)    - See: Psycholinguistics, Saleh Belaid, Dar Homa for Printing, Publishing and Distribution, Algeria, 2008, p. 44.

• (15)    - See: A theoretical attempt to understand the motives of migration and its impact on the Moroccan social structure, Idriss Maqboub, Moroccan Journal of Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences, m. 1, no: 1, 2022, p. 24.

• (    16)- See: The State of the Arabic Language and its Future, Ministry of Culture and Youth, United Arab Emirates, D.I., D.T., p. 06.

• (17)    - Multilingualism in the new Moroccan curriculum in the primary section, Mohamed Ben Omar, Al-Mayadeen Journal for Studies in the Humanities, no: 01, p. 220.

• (18) - Manifestations of multilingualism in Algeria and its implications for Arabic language education, Badis Lahomel, Nour El Huda Hosni, Journal of Linguistic Practices, no: 30, 2014, p. 105.

Emirates, d.i., d.t.

Ben Sbaa, Department of Philosophy, University of Constantine.

edition, no date.

17, April, 2001.

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The impact of multilingualism on Arabic language teaching discourse

Sghir Fatima, Arras Zaima