The College of Languages Participates in the Third Arba’ilo Conference at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
A group of professors from the College of Languages took part in the Third Arba’ilo Conference held at Freie Universität Berlin from July 20 to 24, 2025, under the theme ( Language, History, and Collective Memory – A Conference on Syriac Studies. Prof. Dr Adnan Shibeeb Jasim from the Department of Hebrew presented a joint research paper with Lecturer Amal Adi Bolous from the Department of Syriac titled (Semantic Overlap of Phonetically Similar Roots in Syriac, Hebrew, and Arabic – A Comparative Study).
The paper explored a unique linguistic phenomenon in Semitic languages, highlighting the phonetic similarities and semantic intersections among roots. Additionally, Lecturer Laith Hassan Mohammed presented a study titled (Non-Literal Interrogatives in Arabic and Syriac Sentences – A Comparative Study), using examples from the Holy Qur’an alongside passages from the Syriac Bible. These contributions reflect the College of Languages’ commitment to academic collaboration with international universities.
The conference brought together researchers from various global institutions, in addition to German universities, and featured a wide range of topics. It concluded with recommendations that promote research in the field of Semitic languages and emphasize the importance of preserving the rich cultural and civilizational heritage of language-bearing nations—especially Iraq, as the cradle of civilization and a repository of manuscripts and antiquities that reflect its global significance.
