ARABIC CULTURE AT THINGS TO

CONSIDER…
A GLANCE  Avoid scheduling
Jordan Gardner and Paul Stutzman therapy during
religoius times (noon
hours, Fridays)
“COLLECTIVISM, HOLISTIC THINKING, GROUPISM,  Obtain permission
FAMILY” prior to touching the
head area
 Actions that may be
considered rude:
o Showing soles
of the feet
o Bad
posture/hands
in pockets
o Using non-
dominant
hand to greet
o Avoiding eye
contact
 Parents prefer Arabic
to be primary
Overview of Culture & Beliefs 
language
Sensitive to criticism



4-6 million Arab Americans living in America
Patriarchal family = husband is primary Intervention

provider
Women are seen as caregivers strategies
 Elders carry a high social status
 Arranged marriages are acceptable
 Colors and types of headdresses can  Establish gender
indicate ancestry and economic status preferences prior to
 Females greet males by putting hand over therapy
heart and saying hello  Learn about family
 Hugging and kissing on the cheek are history
common greetings for gatherings  Avoid taboo topics
 Rude for a female to shake a males hand (food, holidays, etc.)
 Establish time
preferences
 Language sampling
Religion and group sessions
may be beneficial
 Avoid standard
 Follow the 5 Pillars of English assessments
Islam  Using an interpreter
 Prayer takes place 5 times may make therapy
a day facing Mecca sessions easier
 Friday is the Muslim  Respect the families
Sabbath wishes and decisions
 Devotion is shown through in regard to
the covering of one’s body
intervention
 No consumption of pork
 Ramadan = period of self-
reflection and spiritual growth
 Phonology and Language “AHLAN”  HELLO
 5th most spoken language in the world “AS-SALAAM-ALAIKUM”
 200 million people speak 1 of the 5 dialects
 Language = sense of identity
 MAY PEACE BE UPON
 Demand on bilingualism YOU
 Environmental variation:
o Modern standard Arabic = religious
ceremonies and literature PROFESSIONAL
o Educated Arabic = schools and public
areas
ISSUES
o Colloquial Arabic= home and in
community  Only 2% of the
 Written language = Holy Quran population has
 Write from right to left access to services
 Baby talk is used freely  Higher prevalence
 8 vowels, 32 consonants, 29 letters of:
 SVO  VSO o Disability
 Phonemes in Arabic that are not found in o Cleft lip/palate
English include the following: /t/, /d/, /ð/,
o Hearing and
/s/, /χ/, /ʁ/, /ħ/, /ʕ/, and /ʔ/.
speech
 Phonemes in English that are not found in
deficits
Arabic include the following: /p/, /v/, /ɹ/,
/ʒ/, /g/, and /ŋ/  Needs:
 Copulas, auxiliaries, future tense, modal o Reporting of
verbs and indefinite articles are not used statistical data
 Common errors: o Improved
o Inserting short vowels into clusters maternal care
(sipring for spring) o Safety
o Produce English words phonetically education
(includes all literal sounds) o Immunization
 Literacy rates differ based on geographical o Gender
location equality

REFERENCES:
Battle, D. E. (2012). Communication
Disorders in Multicultural and
International populations. (4th Ed.).
Mosby Elsevier.

Bryant, S. (2019, April 3). The Do's and

Don'ts of Greetings Around the World.
Retrieved from:
https://countrynavigator.com/blog/global-
talent/greetings/

Qatar Foundation International. (2018,

June 25). Infographic: Non-Verbal
Communication in the Arab World.
Retrieved from:
https://www.qfi.org/blog/infographic-non-
verbal-communication-arab-world/