Halima Belemlih, Ph.D.

Halima Belemlih Headshot
Distinguished Lecturer

Department of Human Sciences - Modern Languages
College of Arts and Sciences
Education

Ph.D.: Linguistics (Pragmatics & Cross-Cultural Communication), University Mohammed Premier, Oujda, Morocco, in coordination with, University of Salford, Manchester, England (2002)

Master of Arts: ESL/EFL and Linguistics (Stylistics), University Mohammed Premier, Oujda, Morocco (1990)

Certificate of Postgraduate Studies: Applied Linguistics, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fes, Morocco (1987)

Bachelor of Arts: EFOL and General Linguistics, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fes, Morocco (1985)

Other Certificates and Training
  • Webtycho Certification for Teaching Online, UMUC, Adelphi, MD (2011)
  • ACTFL OPI in Arabic (Rate: Superior), White Plains, NY (2010)
  • ACTFL WPT in Arabic (Rate: Superior), White Plains, NY (2010)
  • ACTFL OPI in French (Rate: Superior), White Plains, NY (2010)
  • ACTFL WPT in French (Rate: Advanced High), White Plains, NY (2010)
  • Praxis: French (0173) (Score 186) UDC, Washington DC (2009)
  • Praxis: ESOL (0360) (Score: 590), UDC, Washington DC (2009)
About Halima

As a native trilingual speaker of Arabic, Berber and French and a relatively fluent learner of English Dr. BELEMLIH thought she was well equipped to explore the trip she won, as a B.A. student to the US, to celebrate the Moroccan American Bicentennial relationships in 1987. She discovered she was wrong when she starved for two days in her host’s family in Minnesota, because they were taking her ‘No’s for their offers of food literally, when she was expecting them to keep insisting on her to eat until she surrenders. Since then, she knew there was more to a language than just fluency and that the slightest error in the pragmatics of a language can be far more damaging that the most flagrant mistake in grammar. This is the question she tries to explore both in her research in linguistics and in her teaching of languages, making sure that even students who take but one semester of language with her can get out well equipped to behave correctly in the target culture.

Since she obtained her Ph.D. in 2002, Dr. BELEMLIH has worked in the fields of research and teaching in: Linguistics, Languages, Translation and Cross Cultural Education, in Africa, Europe and the US. She also provided cultural and curriculum advising, translating and consulting services to various institutions inside and outside the US.

Dr. BELEMLIH is also a winner of a various scholarships and grants. In 2014, she won, and directed, a Fulbright Hays grant for the University of New 51¶ºÄÌ: "Global Classrooms and Cultural Connections for the 21st Century Learners: Morocco’s Bountiful Perspectives", in which she took 12 K-12 educators to Morocco to study Arabic and immerse in the culture in order to develop curricula about the Arabic culture and civilization and incorporate them in US learning materials.

Publications
Books

BELEMLIH, H. (2017). Language as a Mirror of Culture: The case of Moroccan Invitations.. Lambert Academic Publishing

Completed Research to be Published

"Language as a Mirror of Culture: The case of Moroccan Compliments"

"The Difference between Speech and Writing in Arabic and English from a Stylistic Point of View"

"A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Beni Warain Folk Songs"

"The Psychological problems of Bilinguals, Saint Brieux, France"

"Hyponymy in Moroccan Arabic"

Grants, Talks, Committees, Boards

Fulbright-Hays--Group Projects Abroad Program director, "Global Classrooms and Cultural Connections for the 21st Century Learners: Morocco’s Bountiful Perspectives" (2014)

Yale Linguistics Talk: "Language as a Mirror of culture: A case study of Moroccan invitations" (2014)

Culture Presentation on "Doing Business in the MENA Region" for the Greater New 51¶ºÄÌ Chamber of Commerce, CT (2013)

Member of the Interdisciplinary Research Cluster: "Higher Education in MENA: The Challenges and the Prospects", University of New 51¶ºÄÌ, CT (2013)

Member of the Anti-Defamation League’s"Jewish-Muslim Community Dialogue", CT (since 2013)

Boren Scholarship Committee member, University of New 51¶ºÄÌ, CT (2011- 2012)

Member of of "La Commission Scientifique de Recherche", Saiss College, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University (since 2011)

Board member of The Milla Project Organization (2010 -2012)

Conference interpretation for International Institute for Languages and Cultures, Fes,Morocco (2012)

"Cultural advising" to nurse-students, Gadsden State Community College, AL (2011)

"Curriculum advising SEGUE Project, Arabic Language" (Supporting Educational Goals for Undergraduate Excellence), University of Maryland University College, MD (2010)

Linguistics’ Research grant to complete M.A. awarded by the British government, Technical Cooperation Program,Suffield University, England (1989)

First winner of "International Youth Exchange Program" grant to celebrate the Bicentennial Moroccan-American Relationship, United States Information Agency, Washington DC (1987)

Academic Positions

Lecturer of Modern languages, Department of Political Sciences and Global Studies, University of New 51¶ºÄÌ, West 51¶ºÄÌ, CT (2010-present)

Online Teaching Assistant of Arabic, Department of Languages, University of Maryland University College, Adelphi, MD (2010-2011)

Translator for UMEUGO Associates Law Firm, West 51¶ºÄÌ, CT (2010-2011)

Adjunct Faculty of French, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL (2007-2008)

Associate Professor of Linguistics, University Mohammed Premier, Oujda, Morocco (2002-2005)

Assistant professor of Languages and Linguistics, University Mohammed Premier, Oujda, Morocco (1990-2002)

Courses Taught
Taught Undergraduate Level Courses in the Following Subject Areas
  • Arabic Language, French language and English as a Foreign language (All Levels)
  • Arabic Cultures through the Media and Literature
  • Reading Comprehension and Précis
  • Grammar, Composition and Introduction to Research
  • Phonetics and Phonology
  • Morphology, Lexis and Syntax
  • Translation
  • Applied and General Linguistics
Taught Postgraduate Level Courses in the Following Subject Areas
  • Cross-cultural communication
  • Semantics and Pragmatics
  • Stylistics and Literary Analysis
  • Sociolinguistics and Psycholinguistics
  • Discourse Analysis, Textual Analysis and Media Analysis
Mentored and Supervised
  • 29 B.A. Linguistic Research Papers
  • 17 M.A. Linguistic Research papers
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