Toward a Functional Arabic Grammar for the Speakers of other Languages, in light of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

Abstract

Arabic Learners often struggle with the complexity and abundance of grammatical rules, which are the byproduct of traditional teaching methods fitting a bygone era.  This calls for revisiting these rules to sift through and examine their purpose and frequency of use, based on a set of specific criteria. This task seeks to arrange and classify Arabic grammatical rules according to the standards of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Reviewing grammatical structures against specific and precise criteria is of paramount importance, as it helps both the teacher and learner identify the learning objectives, and zero in on language proficiency to cater for  learners’ needs.  This research is expected to reduce the number of grammatical rules presented to the non-Arabic speaking learner, with the aim of strengthening language proficiency.