CMU-Q project aims to draw interactive map of Qatari dialect

CMU-Q project aims to draw interactive map of Qatari dialect

Doha

A research team of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), a Qatar Foundation partner university, is working on exploring and analysing dialects in Qatar.

"Our main goal is to expand Qatar's knowledge base when it comes to the Qatari dialect, heritage, culture, and identity," says Zeinab Ibrahim, teaching professor of Arabic studies and the lead principal investigator on the project to create an interactive map of the Qatari dialect.

The project is funded by the Qatar National Research Fund's (QNRF) National Priorities Research Programme.

Principal investigators include Houda Bouamor, assistant teaching professor of information systems at CMU-Q, as well as Aisha Sultan from Doha International Family Institute and Hany Abdelrhem from Georgetown University in Qatar.

For the project, the research team is tracing the social and geographic variations of Qatari dialect over generations, and creating a digital tool to explore pronunciation, usage, and expressions.

Ibrahim believes CMU-Q's research can help preserve and promote Arabic language learning in Qatar. "I have been living in Qatar for quite a while now, and I've noticed a lack of references on the local dialect that has changed over the years. Also, a lot of people move and work here, and would like to learn the Qatari