Medieval Muslim thinkers on foreign language pedagogy: The case of Ibn Khaldun

Abstract

Throughout history, language teaching in the West has depended on traditional methods that relied primarily on the teacher as the source of information for language and culture. These methods were mainly confined to the teaching/learning of grammar and structure, and/or imitating native speakers of the language being learned/taught. It was not until the 19th century, from a Western point of view, that linguists and pedagogues started to form the concept of a foreign language teaching method/approach. However, this article takes a different stand: it claims that seeds of modern methods of teaching foreign languages and language acquisition theories have their origins in the writings of medieval Muslim thinkers about teaching Arabic as a foreign language across the Muslim Empire. To support this argument, a qualitative content analysis was used to draw evidence from the medieval Muslim thinker Ibn Khaldun's history book, Al Muqqadimah [The Muqqadimah/The Introduction]. Findings of this study indicate that a number of teaching methods, similar to contemporary ones, were developed by medieval Muslim thinkers. Implications for the teaching of languages to non-native speakers are also provided.