MonaÌýAttwa

  • Associate Teaching Professor of Arabic
  • Arabic Language Coordinator
Address

Ìý311

Office Hours

Mondays 1:30-3:30pm or by appointment

Hello, and thanks for visiting my page!

Social life of languages, particularly Arabic, isÌývery intriguing to me. I am interested to understand the dynamics of language use as a means of communication, and I am working on finding ways to facilitate learning Arabic as a foreign language.

Before coming to ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ in 2015, I taught Arabic language and translation at The American University in Cairo, Leiden University in The Netherlands, and The International Language Institute (IH-Cairo). I also have a professional experience in translation, machine translation, and publishing.

I did my PhD project with Tilburg University in The Netherlands. The study looked at the effects of globalization and superdiversity on Arabic cross-country communication. More specifically, it explored the linguistic and semiotic resources used by Arabs on a pan-Arab TV show and investigated the relationship between this usage and identity in The Arab world.

*Winner of The Best Should Teach Gold Award of 2019.
*ASSETT Faculty Fellow 2019-2020.
*Nominated for Excellence in Teaching with Technology, 2018.
*Faculty Celebration Magazine Mention,ÌýCenter for Humanities & the Arts, ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ.
*Founder ofÌýQahwa ArabiÌýPlatform.

Publications:Ìý

  • Attwa, M. (forthcoming). Layers of identity: understanding the Arab voice. I-LanD Journal special issue, Identities and diversity in audiovisual products.
  • Attwa, M. & De Ruiter, J. (forthcoming). Why can’t you see my funny side? Standard Arabic as resource in humor. Journal of Arabic Sociolinguistics. Tentatively titled ‘Decolonizing Arabic Sociolinguistics’. Edinburgh.
  • De Ruiter, J. & Attwa, M. (2021). Allah, Allah, Allah: The Role of God in the Arab Version of the Voice. Religions 12:412.
  • Attwa, M. (2020). Arabizi: a writing variety worth learning? A revisit. Taha, Z. (eds.) Revisiting Levels of Contemporary Arabic in Egypt. Essays on Arabic Varieties in Memory of El-Said Badawi. AUC Press. Cairo.
  • Attwa, M. (2019). On the way to understand the pan-Arab voice. Miller C. et al (eds.). Studies on Arabic Dialectology and Sociolinguistics: Proceedings of the 12th International Conference of AIDA held in Marseille from 30th May – 2nd June 2017. Aix-en-Provence: Institut de recherches et d’études sur les mondes arabes et musulmans. Collection: Livres de l’IREMAM.

Research Interests:

Sociolinguistics, language choice, e-Arabic, identity and ideology, and language pedagogy.