Happy to accept Prof. Emma Trentman’s invitation to be part of the Colloquium in AAAL 2022.

This colloquium focuses on multilingual approaches to language learning in the context of U.S. learners of Arabic.  Arabic is a language known for its diglossic nature, extensive variation in regional dialects, and use in multilingual contexts.  While the challenges of this sociolinguistic situation are an oft-discussed topic in the field of Arabic teaching, the papers in this colloquium demonstrate that these challenges are largely the product of applying monolingual language ideologies to decidedly multilingual and multidialectal contexts.  Examining a variety of Arabic instructional settings, including university and community classrooms, study abroad, and virtual exchange, the papers in this colloquium demonstrate the power of reframing Arabic language learning through pedagogical approaches rooted in multilingual language ideologies. They also use these experiences to discuss the potential of this approach for world language education generally.