Trends and Developments in Today’s Arabic
April 12-13 2019

International conference organized by the Center for Arab Studies and the Department of Arabic, University of Bucharest

Venue: Casa Universitarilor, 46 Dionisie Lupu Street, Bucharest

Argument. The Arabic variety known as Modern Standard Arabic, or, in other words, Literary Arabic as it is currently used nowadays in its specific settings and contexts, is traditionally and, to a large extent, rightly considered a by and large stable linguistic code in many of its compartments. However, if we go beyond that which gives it this air of consolidated stability (mostly morphology and a conventionalized pronunciation), we are often met with phenomena suggesting that we may be dealing with a more dynamic landscape. This is far from being surprising – many factors, including the sheer rise in literacy levels and its intensive use in highly dynamic environments provided by all sorts of media outlets, are bound to build up momentum for change and evolution. The most conspicuous and easily discernible changes it incurs have to do with vocabulary and semantics, but there is also much to be said about evolutions in the realm of syntax leading to an increased flexibility of extant structures, that may be triggered by internal processes, by the influence of foreign languages or vernacular varieties. The aim of this conference is to provide a venue for discussing such topics and any other issues pertaining to the current state of Literary Arabic.

General conference guidelines

Submit your proposal and abstract (200 words) to the address: ovidiupietrareanu@yahoo.com before November 30, 2018. If you would like to submit, you will need the following: abstract, keywords, and short biographical information.
Languages of the conference: Arabic, English, French.
All proposals will be reviewed within two to four weeks of submission (before December 15, 2018).
A selection of papers will be published as conference proceedings in the Romano-Arabica Journal, XX/2020, (About Romano-Arabica: https://unibuc.academia.edu/RomanoArabicaJournal).

For those who attend the conference, there will be a registration fee of €50 to cover the costs of lunches, coffee breaks, and other conference materials. Unfortunately, we cannot offer financial support for travel or accommodation expenses. However, we can provide you with accommodation in our university facilities in a limited number.

Coordinator of the organizing committee:

Ovidiu Pietrăreanu (ovidiupietrareanu@yahoo.com)

The organizing committee:

George Grigore, Laura Sitaru, Gabriel Biţună, Ștefan Ionete, Crina Galiţă.