Arab World English Journal, December 2016 ASELS Annual Conference Proceedings, 2016 Mohammed V University of Rabat, Morocco
Foreword
We are delighted to present contemporary views and research on the status of the English language in higher education in the Arab World. Within an ever-increasingly changing global framework, the both at the interpersonal; and functional roles of English have advanced rapidly. But what are the challenges that await non-native English speakers, professionals that are per force operating within an increasingly Anglophone tertiary education environment? Could it perhaps hinder the accessibility of information, or even hinder perspective generated from within the Arab World to the international community? This situation may often present substantial challenges to those working in diverse fields with the Arab World and beyond.
Alternatively, could English serve as the necessary academic lingua franca, allowing thousands of specialists in diverse fields to share information, knowledge, benefits and peace among the international community? This publication represents a collection of some of the great many interesting and thought-provoking submissions presented in the annual international conference of Arab Society of English Language Studies (ASELS) at The Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Mohammed V University of Rabat. It is hoped that this issue will therefore address the controversies that have emerged as a result of a noticeable disparity between the rapidly-changing status of the English language in the MENA region and the continuous efforts on the part of policy-makers to respond to these changes.
Editorial Board
December 2016