Picking up the gauntlet to preserve language
Is Arabic coming under attack from colloquial dialects and English?
Dubai: With millions of speakers and 20 actively used dialects spread across two continents, Arabic is hardly an endangered language.
But, with the forces of globalisation and increasing numbers of young people in major Arab cities relying on English, the dominance of Arabic is being challenged.
Dr Rudwan Al Dibsi heads the Association for the Protection of the Arabic Language in Sharjah.
Despite the name of the association, Al Dibsi does not believe that Arabic is endangered in the UAE or the wider Arab world, but warns that it is under "attack" by internal and external elements such as colloquial dialects and dominant foreign languages.
"Why do some Arabs say that the Arabic language is not fit for the sciences to be taught in? For over 1,000 years, Arabic was the primary language of learning for all subjects. By making such suggestions, we are responsible for our language's fate," he said.
Emphasis
The association, which was established by the federal government in 1999, aims to preserve and spread awareness about the Arabic language. Al Dibsi maintains that such organisations exist all over the Arab world.
The growing dominance of English and the decreasing reliance on Arabic in the work place today is attributed to the influx of non-Arabic speakers in the UAE, said Al Dibsi. The only solution for that, he argues, is to facilitate and encourage the teaching of Arabic to expatriates.
"It is our responsibility to encourage them," he said. One person who has personally taken up the challenge of preserving the Arabic language is Hala Al Kayyali.
Along with her sister, Hala, a Saudi educationalist, is in the process of setting-up a centre called Huroof - meaning 'letters' in Arabic - to provide children with access to Arabic.
"There is a dire need for more Arabic studies as there is an entire generation of Arab children going to international schools, where not enough emphasis is placed on Arab culture, including the language."
Huroof will operate as an afterschool programme for children aged two to 12, focusing on exposing children to the language. "Children should not be cheated out of learning their language," she told Gulf News. "English is very important, but Arabic connects children to their rich heritage as well."
Facts about Arabic
- One of the six official languages of the UN.
- Arabic is the largest member of the Semitic family of languages, along with Amharic, Hebrew, Aramaic and Maltese, which are spoken by more than 300 million people.
- Has 28 characters, excluding vowels, and is written right-to-left.
- Has been a literary language for over 1,500 years.
- The Arabic alphabet derives from the Aramaic script.
- There are up to 37 dialects of Arabic, of which many are extinct, such as Andalusi Arabic, or endangered, such as Cypriot Maronite Arabic and Baghdadi Jewish Arabic.
- Other languages, including English, have a considerable number of borrowed words from Arabic, such as sugar, cotton and alcohol.
People say
"Arabic is a must. I can speak basic Arabic, about 500 or more words. I did do a course in business Arabic when I came back to Dubai four years back, looking to start a professional life here. I can understand about 80 per cent but I don't use my Arabic very often. Maybe once a week. I wish I spoke more Arabic to deal with the traffic police or government offices. It depends how you look at it, but I think it is necessary to speak Arabic here, or at least it helps."
Tanver Shah, 25
Indian
"I know about 10 or so words. I don't think I'll learn because I don't think I need to. I find it very easy to get around. I think that if I worked for a company where I would be dealing with more Arab people on a business type basis, then I definitely would. I think that expats who plan on being here for longer than a year should at least try to learn the native language out of respect for the locals and the country they live in. I might look into it later."
Elizabeth Schillare, 27
American
"I started learning [Arabic] in May this year. I can read signs and practice reading numbers from licence plates and road signs. I use numbers to give people contact information sometimes and it's interesting to hear people speak as I can now pick up a few words. I practice with two Arabic speakers from my office. Pronunciation can be tough as there are so many letters that sound the same. Arabic people are pleased; they say 'well done' and 'good luck'. I don't think it's important to learn Arabic here, but I am doing it for myself."
Elisa Galbraith, 27
Anglo-Cuban
- By Emmanuelle Landais, Staff Reporter
Have your say
Are you familiar with classical Arabic? Do you know of anybody who uses it? How can the purity of language be preserved? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com
Arabic will surely survive another century if language speakers put it to use everyday and stop being importers by producing content in their own language. Most importantly, Arabs who receive education in foreign countries come back feeling alienated when using their native language as its not streamlined to match the new learning they've acquired abroad. Bottom line, a language survives and grows if value is produced and initiatives are launched to encourage readers to interact with a pure language.
Ahmed
Dubai,UAE
Posted: September 28, 2007, 12:45
It is obvious that Arabic is under attack. Arabic should be the main language in all official offices and even businesses in the UAE and English should be only the second.
Arab
Dubai,UAE
Posted: September 28, 2007, 12:18
Arabic is a beautiful language. I have been in UAE for the past 18 years. I learned Arabic within 7 months of my arrival and now feel confident that I can effectively communicate with Arabs. This has helped me a lot while doing transactions with government. departments.
Sabith
Dubai,UAE
Posted: September 28, 2007, 09:54
