Harris and Trump make final push in must-win Pennsylvania    Drones and snipers on standby to protect Arizona vote-counters    India's Modi condemns violence after Canada temple incident    Elon Musk can keep giving $1m to voters, judge rules    Al Ahli extends perfect start with 5-1 victory over Al Shorta    Mitrovic's hat-trick leads Al Hilal to 3-0 victory over Esteghlal    Tourism Development Fund launches "Tourism Empowerment" programs to enhance sustainable growth of SMEs    Saudi crown prince, Tunisian president review bilateral relations in phone call    SFDA Chief visits premier biotechnology and medical firms in China    Al-Khereiji: Collective action in combating terrorism is a must for achieving stability and prosperity    Saudi Awwal Bank becomes the Kingdom's first bank obtaining ISO certification for quality management system in operations    10 cooperation agreements signed during Saudi-Turkish Business Forum in Istanbul    Saudi Arabia's non-oil revenues grow 6% in 9 months while Q3 budget posts SR30 billion deficit    Quincy Jones, titan of US music, dies aged 91    Enhancing zakat, tax, and customs compliance takes center stage at the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Conference 2024    Neymar expected to join Al Hilal squad for AFC clash against Esteghlal, says coach Jesus    Al Qadsiah secure 2-0 victory over Al Ettifaq in first Eastern Derby since 2021    Hidden sugars in Asia's baby food spark concerns    HONOR unveils pre-order of the stunning HONOR MagicBook Art 14 Featuring an ultra-slim design, HONOR Eye Comfort Display and AI Cross-OS WorkStation    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Losing our Arabic language
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 11 - 04 - 2016

Are we losing our Arabic language? It is a difficult question to answer because the answer sadly is hard to accept. There is a unanimous agreement that the new generation is seriously lacking a lot when it comes to the Arabic language — be it grammatical, written or just spoken Arabic. What is more painful is that many people find it easy to express themselves in English rather than their own Arabic language.
Not long ago, my wife and I were in a shopping mall in Jeddah and it was really surprising when I saw a Saudi father wearing the traditional Saudi thobe and headdress talking to his son in English. What I heard was the father telling his son that if he did not behave, then he would take away his IPod and PlayStation.
That the father was communicating this simple fact to his son in English was shocking. I could not stop myself from asking him (father) why he was talking to his son in English and was it due to the fact that the mother was a foreigner from Europe or America. The father looked at me proudly before replying that his son is in private school where the curriculum is taught in English and he was proud that his son is fluent in English.
I asked him, what about his Arabic? He said, and that was disturbing, it is not that important as long as he can verbally communicate in Arabic. He said that English is a universal language and his son needs to master it at a young age so as to have a better future.
This example is one of many that I have witnessed and I do not know how many others the readers have witnessed or heard. For me it is acceptable to communicate with a foreigner in English, since it is the common language between non-English speaking nations. But for two or a group of Saudis or Arabs to communicate in English during a gathering is simply, in my opinion, not acceptable. What can be inferred from this is only one thing that they are not proud of their own language.
There was a clip, many years back, of a German foreign minister where he refused to speak in English at a press conference held in Germany. Although the BBC reporter asked a question and sought an answer in English, the German minister refused to accede to the reporter's request, saying that he will speak in German since he is in Germany and the reporter is more than welcome to hear the answer that would be translated in English. Some may say that it was arrogance on the part of the minister or disrespect to a journalist, but I am sure that the most would agree that he is a German, who is proud of his own language and has every right to speak it at home.
Recently, I have been noticing this trend, especially among the people who have been educated outside the Kingdom. Whenever I am in a conversation with one of them, the person shows a tendency of switching between Arabic and English during the entire dialogue. Such behavior sometimes gives me a headache as my brain needs to keep switching between Arabic and English and sometimes this mixing of the two languages results in both the languages being used in one sentence. And when I ask them why they keep injecting English words in every sentence, and there is hardly a complete Arabic sentence, their reply is equally unbelievable as they often say, "I can express myself in English more than Arabic, in which I'm not that fluent."
Arabic language is the language of the Holy Qur'an. Those who cannot express themselves in Arabic believing that there are not enough words, should understand that our language is rich and there is ocean of words they can choose from, with the exception to new words and terminologies. Our youth are exposed to all sorts of media that is mostly in English and it is affecting them. What are we doing about it?
I've seen grown up people writing a paragraph in Arabic that is full of mistakes and typos. Some of them cannot distinguish between two Arabic letters. Not only that, there are Saudis and Arab expats who break up their Arabic language to communicate with English speaking expats. This is funny as I listen to the way they break the Arabic language completely just to press home a point.
I understand when an expat who speaks little Arabic, communicates in broken Arabic because it is not his language. But the Saudi or Arabic speaking expat if they spoke normal Arabic, the non-Arabic speaking expats will understand it and there is no need to break it. The same can be said of an English speaking Briton or American, they will speak in proper English to put across the point until the non-English speaking person understands what they want to say, but they will never break their language.
Although I find it funny to say this in English but Arabic language is our identity and we need to protect it. Despite the different dialects and slangs in the Arab world, what unites us all is the classical Arabic. On a family level we should stress the importance of our language and provide help to those who needs to write and understand it. Most of all, we should encourage them to read. A simple method to keep the language on a firm footing.
The writer can be reached at [email protected]
Twitter: @anajeddawi_eng


Clic here to read the story from its source.