Introduction
One of the most common mistakes in designing Arabic for Specific Purposes (ASP) programs is reducing them to mere “terminology.” In reality, specialized programs fundamentally aim to transform language into professional competence, enabling learners to perform discipline-related tasks in Arabic.
For example, a law student does not only need legal vocabulary; rather, they need to be able to:
- read a legislative/legal text,
- extract arguments and reasoning,
- write a brief memo,
- produce a formal document or letter.
- Needs Analysis as the Starting Point
Needs analysis typically includes:
- learners’ actual tasks (target tasks),
- contexts of language use (domains),
- the required language mode (written/oral).
Outputs of Needs Analysis
- a task list,
- prioritized skills and competencies,
- learner profile characteristics and time constraints.
- Discourse Analysis
Legal/medical discourse has distinct features, including:
- formal structures,
- performative verbs (e.g., acknowledges, undertakes, authorizes),
- regulatory and codified stylistic patterns.
Here, the text becomes a source rather than a decorative add-on.
If available, corpora can be utilized to identify the most frequent structures and patterns.
- Functional Syllabus Development
The curriculum is structured around functional units such as:
- legal definition,
- drafting requests/objections,
- referencing articles/clauses,
- summarizing documents,
- formal linguistic negotiation.
- Designing Specialized Tasks
Tasks represent the core of the program, such as:
- summarizing a document,
- writing a memo,
- simulating a consultation,
- presenting a case.
Golden rule: Every unit should end with a professionally relevant performance that can be assessed.
- Professional Assessment
Assessment in ASP differs fundamentally from general language testing. It requires:
- specialized rubrics,
- criteria such as: terminological accuracy + correctness of formulation + level of formality.
Conclusion
Arabic for Specific Purposes is essentially a project of functional linguistic engineering:
Needs Analysis → Discourse Analysis → Functional Units → Specialized Tasks → Professional Assessment
Each step translates an institution’s educational expertise into measurable, sustainable learning outcomes.