ARABIC

Why Arabic?

The Arabic language has been an important language spoken in a wide region for many centuries. Being an inflective language, the Arabic language has developed largely due to the Islam faith and its holy book Koran and become widely used. Today, Arabic is spoken by more than 150 million people and it is divided into five main groups of dialects: dialects spoken in the Arabian peninsula, dialects of Iraq, dialects of Syria, dialects of Egypt and dialects of Northern Africa. Trade relations between Turkey and Arab countries have resulted in an increase in demand for the Arabic language.

Lessons

In TÖMER, all classrooms are furnished with a “U-type” seating system so that learners can communicate with the teacher as well as their peers comfortably. Each class features modern, electronic teaching equipment; in accordance with international language learning standards, each class can hold 5 to 16 learners. Language teachers at TÖMER are members of Ankara University. The medium of instruction is Arabic, as a result of which learners are exposed to the foreign language itself from the very start. 

Courses for General Purposes

Arabic courses consist of 12 levels: 6 basic levels, 4 intermediate levels, 2 advanced levels. In order to be successful at the final test given at the end of each term, learners need to prove proficient in each language skill tested (reading, listening, speaking, writing). If a learner fails to get a pass mark in any one of these skills, he or she is asked to take a second test for this skill only.

Coursebooks include al-Arabiyye lil Hayat and al-Kavaid al-Müyessere; there are also exercise books, listening and DVD material, and supplementary material designed by TÖMER Arabic Unit. In addition to all these, selected texts from various story books are studied and translation of current news items into Turkish is carried out.

Courses for Specific Purposes

Courses for specific purposes include test preparation classes and classes for translation-interpretation tests given by government and private institutions. These classes are organised upon request.

Speaking Classes

Upon demand, speaking courses are organised for learners currently attending TÖMER Arabic courses. Speaking classes are run by native speaker teachers at various times of the day. Learners in TÖMER Arabic courses can attend these classes free of charge.

Final Tests

Normal courses cover 40 class hours and intensive courses cover 48 class hours; at the end of each semester, learners sit for a final test that includes sections on four basic language skills. Grading criterion is presented below. If a learner fails to meet the pass mark required for a skill, a second test is given for the skill concerned only. Yet, learners who fail in more than one skill are asked to repeat the level.