Dialectal Variation in Arabic Among Middle Eastern Students and Its Impact on Nahwu Learning in Indonesia

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Abstract

This article investigates dialectal variation in Arabic as spoken by Middle Eastern students enrolled in Indonesian Islamic higher education institutions and analyzes the impact of such dialectal backgrounds on their acquisition and application of nahwu (Arabic grammar, particularly fusha syntax and morphology). Drawing on sociolinguistic theory and second language acquisition research, the study examines how six major regional Arabic dialects, specifically Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, Moroccan, Yemeni, and Iraqi, each produce distinct patterns of grammatical interference in the classroom learning of formal Arabic grammar as taught through the classical nahwu tradition. Particular attention is given to phenomena of negative transfer in the domains of i'rab (case endings), verb conjugation, dual morphology, and negation structures. The findings indicate that dialectal background significantly mediates students' encounter with fusha grammatical structures, producing both productive facilitation effects and systematic negative transfer that requires pedagogically targeted interventions. Implications for the design of nahwu instruction for multi-dialectal Arabic-speaking learners in Indonesian Islamic universities are discussed.