Most Arabic-as-a-foreign-language programs focus on MSA for all four language skills – listening, speaking, reading & writing – and add in colloquial spoken Arabic later, if at all. This traditional teaching method leaves many students struggling to communicate verbally, especially when they travel in the region & desire to use the language in everyday settings.

In an effort to resolve this common challenge and close the gap between classroom settings and the real world, ‘Arabiyyat al-Naas teaches students the living language as it is used by native speakers every day. The curriculum introduces spoken Levantine Arabic (the Arabic used in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine) and uses it for ordinary conversation and discussions throughout the course, while using MSA for reading, writing and formal or scripted speech.