Arabic language mirrors changes in society

Abu Dhabi: The duality in the Arabic language (classical Arabic and local dialects) is not always a negative thing, a linguistic specialist said.

"Having two systems to communicate in is an honour for speakers (language users)," said Dr Maryam Byshak, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at UAE University in a lecture held Wednesday evening at the Cultural Foundation in the capital.

The lecture was organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.

Dr Maryam, who teaches linguistics at the university and has carried out important specialist research on the same topic says the language mirrors what is happening in society.

"Due to education and interaction with Arab residents in the UAE, Emiratis are pronouncing words correctly in their dialects," she said, referring to the habit of replacing letters by another in some Arabic dialects.

On the other hand Dr Maryam thinks that "foreign migration to the country has led to the use of broken Arabic in dealing with non-Arabs which has created a strange language on the street".

The positive aspect of this foreign migration, however is that dealing with multi-nationalities has "created a general culture of understanding between them," she said.

She gives Greece as an example of a multilingual society.

"Greek people deal with three languages a day - one for religious practice, the other for the media and the third is the dialect that is used in conversations; each language has its area and cannot be used in another," the linguistic specialist explained.

Abu Dhabi Dr Maryam thinks that one of the disadvantages of social change is "losing some national characteristics that distinguish the unique Emirati identity. It is not about being arrogant, but being special," she told Gulf News.

"We lost lots of national knowledge due to a lack of research and studies that documents dialectic vocabularies and related knowledge, which affects the national identity," she said.

Dr Maryam expects that Arabic dialects will be upgraded as many Arabs are living in the UAE.

"Different Arabic dialects are becoming similar and returning to be a unifying element for all Arabs as it used to be," she said.