Bangor University research on language in Arabic-speaking children

Two Bangor University postgraduate students from Saudi Arabia are seeing their research on language development in Arabic-speaking children published in scientific journals this year.  

Wesam Almehmadi, who recently completed her PhD Linguistics, published a research article in the prestigious Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research with her supervisors. 

Wesam studied pragmatic skills in Arabic-speaking adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Her research provides a comprehensive assessment approach using direct and indirect measures (adolescents’ performance and caregivers’ perceptions), with significant implications for ASD assessment and interventions.

Dr Eirini SanoudakiHuda Althobaiti, former MA Linguistics student, has also had a research article accepted for publication in the Journal of Monolingual and Bilingual Speech .

Huda tested language and metalinguistic skills in Arabic-English bilingual children, as well as monolingual children, focussing on children’s understanding of gender within language.

 ‘We are delighted to see our new research on language in Arabic-speaking children published this year. It has been a pleasure to work with Wesam and Huda’  said supervisor Eirini Sanoudaki, who is also Director of Postgraduate Research at Bangor’s School of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.

 ‘Our Arabic-speaking postgraduate students form an important part of our research community. Together we produce high calibre work on Arabic, publishable in peer-reviewed journals. Without these students, this research would not have been possible’ Eirini says.

Wesam, who completed an MA Linguistics in the School before moving on to her PhD studies, says: ‘The Linguistics department at the university has highly qualified faculty members, who are knowledgeable and approachable. The department offers a wide range of modules and research areas, and hosts regular research seminars and talks, as well as various other events. This active research environment allows us as PhD students to do research that is informed by the latest developments in our field.

’‘I also loved the overall environment in the town and the university. The location of the university is in a very beautiful, quiet and safe town. People there are very friendly, approachable and helpful.’

Publication date: 2 July 2020