In 1968 Margaret K. Omar (Nydell) spent four months in a small Egyptian village called Sheikh Mubarak. Located in Middle Egypt near Al-Minya, residents of Sheik Mubarak speak in a dialect closer to Sa'eedi, not the dialect spoken in Cairo. Omar spent time there conducting interviews, examinations, and taping sessions with children and families to study primary language acquisition in non-Western languages.
Based on her fieldwork, Omar describes the physical and social environment in which the native language was learned, the development of early communication and speech, and when and how children learn the phonology, vocabulary, morphology, and syntactical patterns of Egyptian Arabic. Omar makes comparisons with aspects of language acquisition of other languages, primarily English, and explores implications for the theory of language acquisition.
Originally published in 1973, this book is the most thorough and complete analysis of the stages in which children learn Arabic as a first language. The Arabic in this book is presented in transcription, making the information accessible to all linguists interested in language acquisition.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
List of Symbols
1. INTRODUCTION
Scope of the Study
Goals of the Study
Need for the Study
Duration and Location of the Study
Duration
Location
Methodology Followed
Recordings and Transcriptions
Types of Speech Observed
Children in the Study
Families in the Village and in the Study
Approach Used with Village Residents
Assistance Received in Conducting the Study
Structural Sketch of the Language
The Root and Pattern System
Phonology
Morphology
Syntax
2. BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PHYSICAL AND FAMILY ENVIRONMENT
The Physical Environment
The Village Surroundings
Family Homes
The Government Cooperative Unit
Physical Characteristics of the Children in the Study
The Social Structure
The Extended Family
Roles of Family Members
Training of Children
Children's Daily Routines, Work and Games
Formal Education
Effects of the Social Structure on Children
Special Uses of Language
3. THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHONOLOGY
The Phonological System in Adult Language
Consonants
Vowels
Functional Load of Phonemes
Syllable Types
The Babbling Stage
Theoretical Considerations
Data Obtained in This Study
Early Imitation
Classification of Data
Stages of Acquisition of the Phonological System
Theoretical Considerations
Stage I
Stage II
Two Intermediate Case Studies
Stage III
Order of Acquisition of Phonemes
Individual Phonemes
Phoneme Combinations
Summary
Comparison with Phonemic Development in Other Languages
Imitation
Theoretical Considerations
Data Obtained in This Study
The Imitation Tests
Final Observations
4. EARLY COMMUNICATION AND INITIAL VOCABULARY
Comprehension
Theoretical Considerations
The Comprehension Test
Conclusions
Effects of Other Factors on Performance
Early Speech and Vocabulary
Theoretical Considerations
Data Obtained in This Study
Baby Talk
Theoretical Considerations
Data Obtained in This Study
Linguistic Features
Social Context
Belief System
5. THE DEVELOPMENT OF SYNTAX
Early Stages of Syntactic Development
Theoretical Considerations
The One-Word Stage
The Multi-Word Stages
The Acquisition of the Negative
Rules for Negation in Adult Language
The Negation Test
Child Syntactical Rules and Stages for Negation
The Acquisition of the Interrogative
Rules for Interrogation in Adult Language
The Interrogation Test
Child Syntactical Rules and Stages for Interrogation
Summary
6. THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORPHOLOGY
Early Stages of Morphological Development
Theoretical Considerations
Some Characteristics of Early Morphological Development
The Acquisition of Inflectional Affixes for Noun Plurals
Rules for Pluralizing Nouns in Adult Language
The Noun Plural Test
Child Rules and Stages for Noun Pluralizations
The Acquisition of the Inflectional Affixes and Agreement for Adjectives
Rules for Adjective Inflection and Agreement in Adult Language
The Adjective Test
Child Rules and Stages for Adjective Inflection and Agreement
Summary
7. CONCLUSION
Review of Findings in This Study
Implications for Theories Regarding Language and Primary Language Acquisition
Suggestions for Further Research
Bibliography
About the Author
Margaret K. Omar (Nydell) is the director of the Flagship Arabic Program (study abroad) at the Center for Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language at the University of Alexandria in Egypt. She is a specialist in Arabic dialectology and the author of many publications, including Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Westerners and the ten-video teaching module Syrian Arabic Through Video.
