Current overview of Spanish language teaching in Qatar
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24197/dbmsxs66Keywords:
Spanish language teaching, Qatar, Sociolinguistics, Spanish culture, InterculturalityAbstract
A thoroughgoing analysis of the status quo of Spanish language education in Qatar is presented, adopting a multifaceted methodological approach encompassing bibliographic and documentary analysis, complemented by participant observation and interviews with local figures. This comprehensive approach yields a multifaceted picture, that covers the teaching of Spanish within the various tiers of the formal education system, the role of language schools, the involvement of diplomatic entities from Spanish-speaking nations in the promotion of the language and culture, and the presence of Spanish in Qatari media. The analysis indicates that the presence of the Spanish language in Qatar is a recent development, with a notable increase observed over the last fifteen years. This suggests significant potential for its teaching as a foreign and heritage language. The demographic and economic characteristics of Qatar, including its large expatriate population, increasing GDP and HDI, are identified as contributing factors to this historical evolution and the current status of the Spanish language. In conclusion, this study is a contribution to the development and visualisation of a future linguistic atlas of Spanish in the Arabian Gulf region.
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