Available from UMI in association with The British Library.
The main aim of this study is to investigate the problems and processes involved in the implementation of a language policy in a particular educational context. The focus is on the changeover from English to Arabic as a medium of instruction which has now been partially implemented in the University of Khartoum in Sudan. The investigation has centred on the sociolinguistic, educational and attitudinal factors which have influenced the process of arabicisation in this institution. Two types of determining factors are identified: those which have hindered the broad implementation of the policy and those which highlight the advantages of arabicisation.
The survey findings revealed positive attitudes to the principle of arabicisation. However, a majority of respondents also noted the need to consolidate the foreign languages programme in the context of arabicisation particularly the English programme. Two main administrative and logistical obstacles to effective and broad implementation of the policy were identified: first, the lack of a long term and coherent plan for proper implementation and second, the inadequate supply of reference materials in Arabic.
An analysis of extracts from a selection of classroom discourse revealed two broad patterns of language use: (1) frequent use of Arabic in English medium classes; (2) the occasional use of English words and phrases in Arabic medium classes. The analysis of these extracts of bilingual classroom discourse also showed that these language switches served specific pragmatic and discoursal functions in the teaching/learning process. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
