Conversational Arabic Acquisition in Digital Environments: A Study of Nigerian Arabic Learners on Online Platforms

The proliferation of online Arabic learning platforms including Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, and Arabizi-based social media communities has created new opportunities for Nigerian Arabic learners to develop conversational Arabic skills outside formal institutional settings, yet empirical research on the outcomes of digital Arabic acquisition in the Nigerian context is absent from the literature. This study investigates conversational Arabic acquisition among Nigerian learners using online digital platforms, examining the proficiency gains, learning strategies, and identity implications of digital-environment Arabic learning. Using a mixed-methods longitudinal design, the research follows 90 self-selected Nigerian Arabic learners engaging primarily with online platforms over a nine-month period, conducting oral proficiency assessments at entry, month four, and month nine using a validated conversational Arabic rating scale. Participants maintain digital learning logs and complete monthly strategy questionnaires, and 30 are selected for in-depth interviews at the study's conclusion. Quantitative proficiency trajectory analysis is supplemented by thematic analysis of interview and log data. The study finds statistically significant oral proficiency gains among consistent platform users, particularly on lexical diversity and pronunciation accuracy measures, though gains in morphosyntactic accuracy remain limited. Digital identity formation as an Arabic speaker emerges as a significant motivational driver among successful learners. Keywords: Conversational Arabic, digital learning, online platforms, Nigerian learners, language acquisition.