Corpus-based teaching in the Arabic classroom: theoretical and practical perspectives Mai Zaki American University in Sharjah The aim of this paper is to present a case for using corpora in TAFL (Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language) classes in light of advances in corpus-based teaching approach. It presents an overview of corpus-based teaching generally, and Arabic corpus resources specifically. Given the lack of corpus-based teaching materials for Arabic, this paper presents a model of integrating corpus-based teaching within a textbook-based sylla- bus for both elementary and intermediate levels. It includes ideas for material design for vocabulary building activities and enhancement of grammatical rules for Arabic learners. Keywords: TAFL, corpus-based teaching, Arabic ﻳ ﻬ ﺪ ﻑ ﻫ ﺬ ﺍ ﺍ ﻟ ﺒ ﺤ ﺚ ﺇ ﻟ ﻰ ﺗ ﻘ ﺪ ﻳ ﻢ ﻣ ﻘ ﺘ ﺮ ﺡ ﻋ ﻤ ﻠ ﻲ ﻹ ﺳ ﺘ ﺨ ﺪ ﺍ ﻡ ﺑ ﺮ ﺍ ﻣ ﺞ ﺍ ﻟ ﺬ ﺧ ﻴ ﺮ ﺓ ﺍ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﻮ ﻳ ﺔ ﻓ ﻲ ﺗ ﺪ ﺭ ﻳ ﺲ ﺍ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ﺍ ﻟ ﻌ ﺮ ﺑ ﻴ ﺔ ﻛ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ﺃ ﺟ ﻨ ﺒ ﻴ ﺔ, ﻓ ﻲ ﺿ ﻮ ﺀ ﺍ ﻟ ﻤ ﺴ ﺘ ﺠ ﺪ ﺍ ﺕ ﻓ ﻲ ﻣ ﻨ ﻬ ﺞ ﺍ ﻟ ﺘ ﺪ ﺭ ﻳ ﺲ ﺍ ﻟ ﻘ ﺎ ﺋ ﻢ ﻋ ﻠ ﻰ ﺫ ﺧ ﻴ ﺮ ﺓ ﻟ ﻐ ﻮ ﻳ ﺔ. ﻟ ﺬ ﻟ ﻚ ﺗ ﻘ ﺪ ﻡ ﺍ ﻟ ﻮ ﺭ ﻗ ﺔ ﻣ ﻘ ﺪ ﻣ ﺔ ﻋ ﺎ ﻣ ﺔ ﻋ ﻦ ﻣ ﻨ ﻬ ﺞ ﺍ ﻟ ﺘ ﺪ ﺭ ﻳ ﺲ ﺍ ﻟ ﻘ ﺎ ﺋ ﻢ ﻋ ﻠ ﻰ ﺍ ﻟ ﺬ ﺧ ﻴ ﺮ ﺓ ﺍ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﻮ ﻳ ﺔ, ﺑ ﺎ ﻹ ﺿ ﺎ ﻓ ﺔ ﻻ ﺳ ﺘ ﻌ ﺮ ﺍ ﺽ ﻣ ﺼ ﺎ ﺩ ﺭ ﻭ ﺑ ﺮ ﺍ ﻣ ﺞ ﺍ ﻟ ﺬ ﺧ ﺎ ﺋ ﺮ ﺍ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﻮ ﻳ ﺔ ﺍ ﻟ ﻤ ﺘ ﻮ ﻓ ﺮ ﺓ ﺑ ﺎ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ﺍ ﻟ ﻌ ﺮ ﺑ ﻴ ﺔ. ﻛ ﻤ ﺎ ﺗ ﻘ ﺪ ﻡ ﺍ ﻟ ﻮ ﺭ ﻗ ﺔ ﻧ ﻤ ﻮ ﺫ ﺟ ﺎ ً ﻋ ﻤ ﻠ ﻴ ﺎ ً ﻟ ﺪ ﻣ ﺞ ﺍ ﻟ ﺘ ﺪ ﺭ ﻳ ﺲ ﺍ ﻟ ﻘ ﺎ ﺋ ﻢ ﻋ ﻠ ﻰ ﺍ ﻟ ﺬ ﺧ ﻴ ﺮ ﺓ ﺍ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﻮ ﻳ ﺔ ﻣ ﻊ ﻣ ﻨ ﻬ ﺞ ﻳ ﻌ ﺘ ﻤ ﺪ ﻋ ﻠ ﻰ ﺍ ﻟ ﻜ ﺘ ﺎ ﺏ ﺍ ﻟ ﺪ ﺭ ﺍ ﺳ ﻲ ﻟ ﻠ ﻤ ﺴ ﺘ ﻮ ﻳ ﻴ ﻦ ﺍ ﻻ ﺑ ﺘ ﺪ ﺍ ﺋ ﻲ ﻭ ﺍ ﻟ ﻤ ﺘ ﻮ ﺳ ﻂ. ﻳ ﺘ ﻀ ﻤ ﻦ ﺍ ﻟ ﻨ ﻤ ﻮ ﺫ ﺝ ﻣ ﻘ ﺘ ﺮ ﺣ ﺎ ﺕ ﻷ ﻧ ﺸ ﻄ ﺔ ﺑ ﻨ ﺎ ﺀ ﺍ ﻟ ﻤ ﻔ ﺮ ﺩ ﺍ ﺕ ﻭ ﻛ ﺬ ﺍ ﺃ ﻧ ﺸ ﻄ ﺔ ﺗ ﻌ ﺰ ﻳ ﺰ ﺍ ﻟ ﻘ ﻮ ﺍ ﻋ ﺪ ﺍ ﻟ ﻨ ﺤ ﻮ ﻳ ﺔ ﻟ ﻤ ﺘ ﻌ ﻠ ﻤ ﻲ ﺍ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ﺍ ﻟ ﻌ ﺮ ﺑ ﻴ ﺔ ﺍ ﻟ ﻜ ﻠ ﻤ ﺎ ﺕ ﺍ ﻟ ﻤ ﻔ ﺘ ﺎ ﺣ ﻴ ﺔ: ﺍ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ﺍ ﻟ ﻌ ﺮ ﺑ ﻴ ﺔ ﻛ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ﺃ ﺟ ﻨ ﺒ ﻴ ﺔ, ﺗ ﺪ ﺭ ﻳ ﺲ ﺍ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﺔ ﺍ ﻟ ﻌ ﺮ ﺑ ﻴ ﺔ, ﺍ ﻟ ﺬ ﺧ ﻴ ﺮ ﺓ ﺍ ﻟ ﻠ ﻐ ﻮ ﻳ ﺔ Introduction The number of free, online corpora that can be used by anyone with computer access has taken a giant leap over the past couple of decades for many languages. Language teaching is one of the areas that has benefited from progress in corpus development. The current literature on using corpora in teaching is by no means small (e.g. Wichmann et al. 1997; Bernardini 2000; Hunston 2002; Nesselhauf 2003; Sinclair 2003, 2004; Römer 2005; Aijmer 2009; McEnery and Xiao 2010; Flowerdew 2012). A considerable part of this body of references has been written with language teachers in mind. However, as Frankenberg-Garcia (2012) explains, supporting the use of language corpora in teaching is one thing, but actually using them successfully is another. The issue of teachers’ awareness of corpora and their benefits in teaching remains a hot topic to date. The story for the Arabic language is even more complicated. The notable absence of resources on corpus-based teaching in the Arabic classroom is only matched by the limited resources for Arabic corpus linguistics (see Mansour International Journal of Applied Linguistics ◆ Vol. 27 ◆ No. 2 ◆ 2017 © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd doi: 10.1111/ijal.12159