Learning Arabic in Lithuania : facts, difficulties and potentials

Abstract

With a number of more than 280 million native speakers over the world (according to the CIA world fact book), the Arabic Language is considered to be one of the oldest alive languages in the world with a wealth of knowledge that archaeologists and linguists are still trying to uncover. The importance of Arabic has roots going back as far as the sixth century. The Middle East has a rich story telling tradition that includes some of the most remarkable stories. In the absence of concrete studies related to the interest in the Arabic language in Lithuania, this study intends to explore some of the facts and potentials of learning Arabic in Lithuania and to shed the light on some of the difficulties faced by Lithuanian learners who are interested in gaining or advancing their knowledge of the Arabic Language in their native country. The main aim of the study is thus to define and investigate the major difficulties faced by the learners of Arabic in Lithuania. Accordingly, the research objectives are as follows: the 1st objective -- to analyse the main theoretical understanding about the Arabic language in Lithuania, its history, the importance and development through the last decade and to spot some similarities and differences between the two languages; the 2nd objective -- to examine the major problems and difficulties encountered by learners of the Arabic Language in Lithuania; the 3rd objective --to recommend solutions for some of the problems depending on the obtained results.