Redefining Arabic in the Global Era: A Critical Examination of Silsilat Al-Lisan Textbooks

The discourse on Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) within the Silsilat Al-Lisan Arabic Language Learning (SAALL) textbook series extends beyond simple language teaching, elevating Arabic to a global status comparable to English. Through critical discourse analysis, this study examines the globalization discourse of Arabic within these educational materials. With the content analysis method, research reveals the SAALL series' ambition to develop Arabic proficiency and establish Arabic as a global lingua franca essential for science, technology, and communication, surpassing geographical, temporal, and contextual limits. Additionally, it illustrates Arabic's embodiment of Arab culture broadly, positioning the SAALL series as a testament to the Arab world's, particularly the United Arab Emirates' (UAE), advancements in various contemporary life aspects. However, distancing it from Islamic discourse may hinder Arabic's evolution, given Islam's significant historical contribution to its development.