This is a draft. Please do not quote without author’s permission. Business Arabic and corpus-based teaching: Theoretical and practical perspectives Mai Zaki American University of Sharjah Abstract ﺍﻟﻌﺎﻟﻤﻴﺔ ﺍﻻﻗﺘﺼﺎﺩﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﺤﺎﻟﺔ ﻅﻞ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺮﺍﻫﻨﺔ٬ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺗﻌﻠﻢ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺍﻟﺤﺎﺟﺔ ﺃﻥ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺍﺛﻨﺎﻥ ﻳﺨﺘﻠﻒ ﻻ ﺍﻟﺘﻌﺎﻭﻥ ﺗﻌﺰﻳﺰ ﺃﺟﻞ ﻣﻦ ﺫﻟﻚ ﻛﺎﻥ ﻭﺳﻮﺍء. ﻣﺴﺘﻤﺮﺓ ﺯﻳﺎﺩﺓ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺘﺠﺎﺭﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻌﺎﻣﻼﺕ ﻷﻏﺮﺍﺽ ﺍﻻﻗﺘﺼﺎﺩﻱ٬ ﻟﻼﺳﺘﺜﻤﺎﺭ ﻓﺮﺹ ﻋﻦ ﺍﻟﺒﺤﺚ ﺃﻭ٬ ﺃﻓﻀﻞ ﻋﻤﻞ ﻓﺮﺻﺔ ﻋﻦ ﺍﻟﺒﺤﺚ ﻣﺠﺮﺩ ﺃﻭ٬ ﺍﻟﻌﺪﻳﺪ ﻓﺈﻥ ﻭﺍﻟﻤﺆﺳﺴﺎﺕ ﺍﻷﻓﺮﺍﺩﻦ ﻣ ﺩﺭﺍ ﺑﺄﻫﻤﻴﺔ ﻭﻋﻴﻬﻢﺰﺩﺍﺩ ﻳ ﻣﻦ ﻟﻜﻦ. ﺍﻻﻗﺘﺼﺎﺩﻱ ﺍﻟﻤﺠﺎﻝ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺳﺔ ﺍﻟﺘﺮﺑﻮﻱ ﺍﻟﻤﻨﻈﻮﺭ٬ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﻣﺠﺎﻝ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻵﻥ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﻮﻓﺮﺓ ﺍﻟﺘﻌﻠﻴﻤﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﺼﺎﺩﺭ ﺑﺄﻥ ﻧﻌﺘﺮﻑ ﺃﻥ ﻻﺑﺪ ﺍﻟﺘﺠﺎﺭ ﺍﻟﻤﻌﺎﻣﻼﺕ ﻷﻏﺮﺍﺽ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻮﺟﻮﺩ ﺍﻟﻄﻠﺐ ﻟﻤﺴﺘﻮﻯ ﺗﺮﻗﻰ ﻻ ﻳﺔ٬ ﺍﻟﻜﺘﺐ ﻧﺎﺣﻴﺔ ﻣﻦ ﻟﻴﺲ ﻓﺤﺴﺐ ﺍﻟﺪﺭﺍﺳﻴﺔ٬ ﺍﻟﻤ ﻧﺎﺣﻴﺔ ﻣﻦ ﺫﻟﻚ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻷﻫﻢ ﺑﻞ. ﻧﻔﺴﻪ ﺍﻟﺘﺮﺑﻮﻱ ﻨﻬﺞ ﻟﺘﺪﺭﻳﺲ ﺍﻟﻌﻤﻠﻲ ﻭﺍﻟﺘﻄﺒﻴﻖ ﺍﻟﻨﻈﺮﻱ ﺍﻟﻤﻨﻬﺞ ﺗﻄﻮﻳﺮ ﺳﺒﻞ ﺑﺒﺤﺚ ﺍﻟﺪﺭﺍﺳﺔ ﻫﺬﻩ ﺗﻘﻮﻡ ﻟﺬﻟﻚ ﺍﻟ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﺘﺠﺎﺭﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻌﺎﻣﻼﺕ ﻷﻏﺮﺍﺽ٬ ﻋﻠ ﺍﻟﻤﻌﺘﻤﺪ ﺍﻟﻠﺴﺎﻧﻴﺎﺕ ﻋﻠﻢ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻻﺳﺘﻔﺎﺩﺓ ﺧﻼﻝ ﻣﻦ ﺧﺎﺻﺔ ﻰ ﺍﻟﺬﺧﻴﺮﺓ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﻮﻳﺔ. ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﻮﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﺬﺧﻴﺮﺓ ﺑﺮﺍﻣﺞﻄﺒﻴﻘﺎﺕ ﻭﺗ ﻣﻦ ﻓﺒﺎﻟﺮﻏﻢ ﺍﻟﻤﻌﺘﻤﺪﺓ ﺍﻟﺘﺮﺑﻮﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻨﺎﻫﺞ ﺃﻥ ﺗ ﻓﺼﻮﻝ ﻓﻲ ﻭﺿﻌﻬﺎ ﺃﺧﺬﺕ ﻗﺪ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﻮﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﺬﺧﻴﺮﺓ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺪ ﻣﺜﻼ ﺍﻻﻧﺠﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺭﻳﺲ٬ ﻣﺎ ﺍﻟﻄﺮﻳﻖ ﻓﺎﻥ ﺃ ﻁﻮﻳﻼ ﺯﺍﻝ ﺍﻟﺒﺤﺜﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻮﺭﻗﺔ ﻫﺬﻩ ﻓﺘﻌﺮﺽ. ﺑﻐﻴﺮﻫﺎ ﻟﻠﻨﺎﻁﻘﻴﻦ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﻭﺗﺮﺑﻮﻳﻲ ﻣﻌﻠﻤﻲ ﻣﺎﻡ ﺍﻟﻠﻐ ﻭﺫﺧﺎﺋﺮ ﺑﺮﺍﻣﺞ ﺧﻼﻝ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﻟﻠﻐﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﺎﺣﺔ ﺍﻟﺘﻄﺒﻴﻘﺎﺕ ﺍﻻﻧﺘﺮﻧﺖ ﻋﻠﻰﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ ﺍﻟ ﺔ٬ ﻳﻤﻜﻦ ﻭﺍﻟﺘﻲ ً ﻣﺜﻼ ﺍﻷﺳﺎﺳﻴﺔ ﺍﻻﻗﺘﺼﺎﺩﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻔﺮﺩﺍﺕ ﺗﺪﺭﻳﺲ ﺃﺟﻞ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﺪﺭﺍﺳﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﺨﻄﻂ ﻓﻲ ﺩﻣﺠﻬﺎ٬ ﺑﻌﺾ ﻭﻛﺬﻟﻚ . ﺍﻻﺻﻄﻼﺣﻴﺔ ﻭﺍﻟﺘﻌﺒﻴﺮﺍﺕ ﺑﻞ ﺍﻷﻓﻌﺎﻝ ﻭﺗﺼﺮﻳﻔﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻨﺤﻮﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﺘﺮﺍﻛﻴﺐ 1. Corpora and language teaching Language teachers and pedagogues always have a lot on their agendas, and in the last few decades a new topic started to receive considerable interest from all those involved in language teaching and learning: corpora and corpus technology. The empirical study of language using computer-assisted techniques to analyse large databases of naturally occurring language is at the heart of the discipline known as corpus linguistics. While the term itself might be relatively new, the methodology is not. However, the implementation of corpus-based methodologies in language teaching is a much younger venture which has gathered momentum fairly quickly. Any investigation into the question of why should we use corpora in language teaching should benefit from the basic distinction which Bernardini (2004: 15) makes between “uses of corpora as sources of descriptive insights relevant to language teaching/learning, and uses of corpora that directly affect the learning and teaching process(es)”. In other words, the first point relates to the type of language facts which could be derived from corpora for the purpose of language learning and teaching; while the second point relates to the know-how of using corpora in the classroom to initiate and promote language learning. However, Kaltenbock and Mehrmauer- Larcher (2005: 67) add that “these two perspectives are by no means mutually