MESALI Cultural Series Presents

Understanding the Languages and Peoples of 

the Middle East and South Asia

Featuring Dr. Michael Chyet

To what extent can a Moroccan, at the extreme western edge of the Arab world understand an Iraqi, at the far Eastern edge?  What makes these Arabic dialects tick?

Dr. Chyet will outline the major and minor languages of the Middle East, who speaks them, and where. Three major language families are represented: Semitic [Afro-Asiatic], Indo-European, and Turkic. The historical interrelations between these languages and their speakers will also form part of the discussion.

When: Thursday July 22--7:30-8:30 PM

Where: MESALI Classrooms

The United Methodist Church Building

1920 G Street, NW

Washington DC, 20006

Cost: FREE with MESALI ID or proof of prior enrollment.

General Admission: $10. Refreshments provided.

Space is Limited. To R.S.V.P., email ross@dcinternationals.com

Dr. Michael L. Chyet is a cataloger of Middle Eastern languages at the Library of Congress. He has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in Folklore and Middle Eastern Languages. Before joining the Library of Congress in 2001, Dr. Chyet was the senior editor of the Kurdish Service at the Voice of America. His specialty is Kurdish, and he has published a Kurdish-English dictionary, as well as  several articles on the Kurdish language, and on Middle Eastern folklore. He is fluent in and teaches the following languages at MESALI: Arabic, Hebrew, Kurdish, Turkish and Persian.