YOGYAKARTA – Learning Arabic does not stop at mastering vocabulary and grammar. How the language is learned, and how it is studied as a linguistic phenomenon, are also important parts of Arabic Literature studies. These matters were discussed in a guest lecture by the Arabic Literature Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, with Prof. Dr. Tamer al-Gazawi, a linguistics lecturer from the Faculty of Arts, Suez Canal University, on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
The event began with opening remarks by Dr. Zulfa Purnamawati, S.S., M.Hum., Head of the Arabic Literature Study Program at UGM. The guest lecture offered two topics tailored to students’ levels. Students from the 2026 cohort attended the session “Effective Arabic Learning,” while students from the 2025 and 2024 cohorts attended the session “Arabic Linguistic Studies.”
For the 2026 cohort, the discussion on “Effective Arabic Learning” was part of the process of getting to know how to learn Arabic in greater depth. The session was moderated by Muhammad Najiib Fauzian, an Arabic Literature student from the 2026 cohort. The discussion was concerned not only with language as learning material, but also with how the learning process can be directed to be more effective and suited to learners’ needs.
Meanwhile, students from the 2025 and 2024 cohorts attended the session “Arabic Linguistic Studies,” moderated by Fahma Nafia. In this session, Arabic was positioned as an object of study that can be viewed from a linguistic perspective. The topic gave students room to broaden their understanding of Arabic beyond its everyday use in communication and the material studied in the classroom.
Prof. Tamer’s presence also brought a different academic perspective into the learning space of UGM Arabic Literature students. Through the presentation and discussion, students could interact directly with an academic in the field of linguistics and view Arabic learning and study from a broader point of view. Meetings of this kind also open up opportunities for students to develop curiosity about various linguistic issues.
The guest lecture served as an academic space for UGM Arabic Literature students to connect the knowledge gained in their coursework with perspectives from academics outside the campus environment. Language learning and linguistic study are thus understood not merely as classroom material, but as a continually developing field that can be viewed through diverse approaches.
Author: Indana Zulfa Maulida
