msa-ca

10 | From MSA to CA: A Beginner’s guide for transitioning into Colloquial Arabic "I SLAMIC A RCHITECTURE - D OME B UILDING " B Y K INGOF C OLESAW Introduction The teaching methodology for Colloquial Arabic continues to engender controversy in the field of Arabic pedagogy. One approach is firstly teaching Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), then teaching colloquial Arabic (CA); another is introducing both MSA and CA at the same time. A third approach is starting with CA then introducing MSA, which is less common in USA and Middle East educational institutions. At Portland State University (PSU), the Arabic program is designed to teach MSA for at least one year, after which the students can learn CA. Because of how the Arabic program at PSU is designed (similar to many programs in the USA), the importance of this book arises. This transition can be challenging for some students. Many current texts do not address the transition from MSA to CA. Some authors assume that both varieties are taught at the same time, or that colloquial is taught first. These approaches are not the best fit for the PSU program design. This