Study Middle Eastern Languages at
Georgia State University!
ARABIC
Arabic is the fifth most commonly spoken language in the world, spoken as a native language by over 200 million people. It is the official language of over 20 countries, including Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It is one of six official languages of the United Nations. Arabic is one of the world's most important languages for the study of religion. The Quran is written in Arabic, and many of the world's 1 billion Muslims spend some time studying Arabic for spiritual reasons. Arabic also has clear geo-political importance for the United States.
HEBREW
Modern Hebrew is a unique language: it was a language of religion, but not spoken as a mother tongue for over 2000 years. It was revived as a spoken language when the state of Israel was founded, and now is the main language spoken in Israel. Knowledge of modern Hebrew is indispensable for those who want to truly understand the culture, society and politics of the state of Israel. And there isn't too much grammar to learn! Biblical Hebrew is the language of the Old Testament, and is crucial for a full understanding of the Bible.
TURKISH
Turkey, with an estimated 76,805,524 people (CIA World Factbook, July 2009), is the 18th most populated country on earth. Sitting at the intersection of Europe and the Middle East, it has a rapidly growing economy and a free trade agreement with the European Union. Turkish makes the list of the top 20 languages with the most native speakers. The languages of the Central Asian countries of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are very closely related to Turkish, and are mutually intelligible. Azerbaijani is spoken by approximately a quarter of the residents of Iran. Other languages in the Turkic language family include Uighur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Uzbek. Modern Turkish is very closely related to Ottoman Turkish, the language of the Ottoman Empire and a crucially important language for historians of the modern Middle East, southeastern Europe, and beyond.
Please click HERE for a downloadable flier outlining Middle Eastern languages taught at GSU and a schedule of this semeseter's courses.
More Information on Summer Language Courses: http://www2.gsu.edu/~phljli/summerlanguages.htm
Contacts
Middle East Institute
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 4089
Atlanta, GA 30302-4089
Acting Director
Michael Herb
Room 2006, 34 Peachtree
404/413-6140
herb@gsu.edu
Outreach Director
Alta Schwartz
Room 2017, 34 Peachtree
404/413-6146
aschwartz@gsu.edu
Business Manager
Letitia Williams
2010, 34 Peachtree
404/413-6145
daslaw@langate.gsu.edu
Location - Directions
34 Peachtree Street
Suite 2010
Atlanta, GA 30302
Fax: 404/413-6141
