User:Erin Liang/sandbox

History
The history of Arabic in America spans centuries, which mainly includes the progress of pre-colonial contact, the dark legacy of the Atlantic slave trade, and waves of immigration that have left an indelible mark on the cultural fabric of the United States.

Pre-Colonial Contact: The presence of Arabic in America existed before European contact. It was said that Al-Sherif al-Idrisi, an Arab geographer, purportedly landed in South America in the 8th century. This early interaction serves as an essential beginning for the later contact and transcontinental connections between the Arabic world and America as well as the far-reaching influence of Arab explorers and traders in American culture.

Pre-Declaration of Independence to Early 19th Century: Arabic language education has a long history in the United States, dating back to over a century before the Declaration of Independence. Initially, the study of Arabic was introduced to complement the study of Hebrew and the Old Testament. Harvard was the first American college to offer Semitic languages, including Hebrew, Chaldaic, and Syriac in 1640, and later added Arabic between 1654 and 1672. This approach was then adopted by other institutions such as Yale in 1700, the University of Pennsylvania in 1788, Dartmouth and Andover in 1807, and the Theological Seminary in Princeton in 1822.

After that, the focus on Arabic education gradually transitioned from theological motivations to philological interests. In 1883, Paul Haupt, an Assyriologist, established a comprehensive Semitic philology program at Johns Hopkins University, which later influenced the development of similar programs across the nation. By the end of the nineteenth century, there were sixteen major departments of Semitics in the United States, with Arabic being offered in various colleges and seminaries.

Atlantic Slave Trade: The Atlantic slave trade brought significant numbers of Arabic speakers to America. Those African Muslim slaves were fluent in Arabic and thus contributed a lot to the language's presence in the United States. Therefore, their arrival and contributions helped build the basic groundwork for Arabic's enduring presence in the later centuries.

Late 19th Century: Sustained immigration from the Arab world to the United States started in the late 19th century. This influx of immigrants brought rich traditions, cuisine, and customs, which later deeply combined Arabic influences within American society.

The Second World War and its lasting influence: During the Second World War, there was a significant transformation in the study of Arabic in the United States. The urgent need to train the military in the Arabic language exposed the nation's lack of professionals in this area. Therefore, the federal government, with the assistance of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), tried to mobilize linguistic experts to create educational materials for numerous languages and dialects, as well as established programs such as the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) for intensive language training.

The enduring impact of this national effort resulted in providing language proficiency to a large number of individuals, many of whom later became educators, government officials, or businessmen dealing with the regions they were trained for. Additionally, the instruction of Arabic and other non-European languages became a regular part of educational programs across the country.

Numerous U.S. government agencies, including the Department of State, the National Security Agency (NSA), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the Peace Corps, established language training programs for Arabic. These initiatives contributed to the teaching and testing of Arabic, the development of instructional materials, and the training of a substantial number of individuals in Arabic dialects.

Furthermore, various universities and institutions received support to develop instructional materials and programs for different Arabic dialects under the support of the national standard.

Current overview of the Arab American community's demographic analysis: The 2000 U.S. census reported 1.2 million Arab Americans, with significant population concentrations in metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, Chicago, and Washington, DC. The largest proportion of Arab Americans traced their heritage to Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt. Regarding socio-economic characteristics, Arab Americans have largely maintained an economic advantage compared to the overall U.S. population. They are engaged in management-level and professional work at a larger proportion compared to the general population.

Current maintenance of Arabic language in America: The study of Arabic language maintenance found two contrasting results. One study found that English continues to be the dominant language spoken by Arab Americans. However, another research found varying degrees of multilingual proficiency in the Detroit area and deduced that Arabic continues to play a vital role for all in the community. Their standard or classical Arabic language functions as a symbol of unification among all language speakers, as it is an expression of identity. Moreover, Arab Americans share more affinity to the Arabic language and culture as it could be either tied to their ethnic identity or their common religion.

In conclusion, the history of Arabic in America shows the enduring influence of linguistic diversity, cultural exchange, and the frequent migrations of Arabic communities. From the precolonial period to modern times, the Arabic language and its cultures have deeply shaped American society, as well as made interconnections and exchanges with the American culture.