Criteria for compiling picture dictionary of common words for Iranian learners of Arabic

The dictionaries used by learners of Arabic who speak Persian are generally not written on the basis of needs analysis and a comprehensive comparison between the learners L1 and the target language. These dictionaries also lack interesting images.  Such issues lead to ambiguity and create problems and obstacles in learning Arabic for Iranian students. This study discusses the main criteria for compiling an Arabic learner dictionary for those learners who speak Persian as their L1. The study is based on a comparative analysis of the common vocabulary in Arabic and Persian in the field of linguistic needs in order to provide a lexical material with common and popular vocabulary that summarizes the time and effort required to learn Arabic words and meanings. The study then reviews the progress achieved in the design of the glossary of the words common to Iranian learners of Arabic, with the aim of making an active contribution to the teaching of the Arabic language to speakers of Persian. The conclusion of the study is that providing a list of words divided into different areas as images of an educational dictionary will have a significant impact on students’ learning of writing skills. The comparative analysis between Arabic and Persian languages and knowledge of similarities and differences through sentences and scripts from both languages will contribute to speeding up learning Arabic and its skills by Iranian students.