Amman – Were it not for the "culture of globalization" that has captivated the minds and tongues of many, there would be no need to reaffirm the obvious: Arabic is an authentic cultural heritage and the identity of a nation. It is the language of the Quran, literature, and eloquence, with roots extending from the heart of the Arab lands to various corners of the world. Despite this status, the great "language of the Arabs" faces significant challenges today, such as weak education, the dominance of dialects and foreign languages, leading to its diminishing presence among generations.
اضافة اعلان
To address these challenges, the Law for the Protection of the Arabic Language was enacted in 2015, establishing clear standards to ensure its proper use in government and private institutions, along with the requirement for job applicants in the public sector to pass a language proficiency exam. Complementing this law, the "National Project for the Defense of the Arabic Language" was launched to solidify its status in society, enhance pride in it, and encourage upcoming generations to regard it as an essential part of their Arab cultural identity.
Bilal Hassan Al-Tal, the executive director of the National Project for the Defense of the Arabic Language, told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that in response to the perceived threats to the Arabic language and the "trend" of many Arab youth speaking foreign languages on social media, the Jordan Center for Studies and Information launched a national project to defend the Arabic language in 2011. A national committee was formed at that time, chaired by Dr. Nasir Al-Din Al-Asad. The efforts culminated in the issuance of the Law for the Protection of the Arabic Language in 2015, which was drafted by a team of legal experts and overseen by the project's higher committee until it passed through all constitutional stages and became enforceable law.
Al-Tal added that many formulations were in front of the "Amman Dialogue Group for Future Dialogues" for launching the second phase of the national project to defend the Arabic language. The first is that defending the Arabic language means defending our culture, national and pan-Arab identity. It is a defense of the strong bond that connects us to our Islamic depth and ties us to our civilizational heritage. Defending the Arabic language means defending the rule of law in our country, and our mission in the second phase of the project focuses on exploring mechanisms and means of applying the law as it is a binding legislation.
Al-Tal clarified that the priorities of the second phase include working to instill a love for the Arabic language and spreading its culture because we defend our identity and our civilizational existence, as well as our national and pan-Arab unity with all its religious and ethnic components. Language is the link between Arabs, Christians, Circassians, Chechens, Kurds, and everyone living on this homeland.
Arabic language professors told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that various educational institutions have taken it upon themselves to uplift and protect Arabic and defend it through various means, including language centers and Arabic language departments at universities.
They added that the Arabic language departments and language centers aim to elevate students linguistically and literarily, making them capable of facing challenges in light of the contemporary technology and social media that flood the world with incorrect language use. They emphasized the importance of taking care of curricula, teachers, and organizing seminars and workshops to encourage learning Arabic and linking education to modern technological means.
Dr. Thamer Al-Masarwa, head of the Arabic Language Department at the Language Center at the University of Jordan, stated that in the Language Center, with its two departments – Arabic Language and Non-Arabic Speakers – they have recognized the importance of raising awareness about Arabic and defending it against any misconceptions about its great attributes. They have undertaken several measures to achieve this goal, including organizing activities, workshops, and cultural events aimed at motivating students to practice the language properly and connecting its usage with the idea of creativity, making it more appealing to them. This includes holding literary competitions, particularly poetry competitions, conducting literary seminars, and workshops that develop writing skills and mastering Arabic calligraphy among students.
Al-Masarwa continued that they did not shy away from defining and implementing these measures based on the awareness of the four communication skills on which language is built. This is evident in encouraging students to read by providing libraries rich in Arabic literary and heritage sources and organizing activities that prompt students to practice reading skills, which enhance their speaking abilities and elevate their cultural level, such as literary clubs and cultural competitions that enrich students' knowledge.
He stressed the importance of taking care of curricula and their instructors by training non-full-time lecturers to enable them to employ modern Arabic teaching methods that align with contemporary requirements and selecting qualified individuals among them. Regarding curricula, these centers have focused on selecting what is based on the principles of comprehensiveness and integration, making them advanced teaching curricula that include two aspects: the first pertains to encompassing the sciences of Arabic, including grammar, morphology, and spelling, among others, while the second focuses on enhancing skills that represent the essence of the language, such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Al-Masarwa pointed out that the center is fully aware of the role of modern technology in learning and teaching Arabic, believing in the necessity of investing in digital education for Arabic teaching in accordance with the requirements of the technological age. They have resorted to interactive electronic platforms and various applications that bring Arabic and its learning closer to students' hearts, distancing them from monotony and boredom in acquiring its sciences, resulting in increased practice of the language and daily engagement with it.
Dr. Hafitha Mahmoud, head of the Arabic Language Department at the Faculty of Arts and Educational Sciences at the Middle East University, said that the Arabic language is a fundamental pillar of our cultural identity (Arab and Islamic) and its specificity. Recognizing the necessity of uplifting it, and that everyone belonging to it must master it to serve their religion, homeland, and nation, and to meet the requirements of the local and regional job market, as well as to keep pace with the global interest in learning Arabic and its literature in foreign universities, the university established the Arabic Language and Literature Department in the Faculty of Arts and Educational Sciences, staffed with a qualified elite of faculty members who cover the various knowledge domains of Arabic language sciences and literature.
Mahmoud added that the Arabic Language and Literature Department at the Middle East University aims to prepare students linguistically and literarily, making them capable of assuming responsibilities in light of globalization and the spread of social media and the knowledge revolution through linking the Arabic language and its various knowledge areas with the technological requirements of the era, providing them with knowledge, skills, and high proficiency in teaching and learning Arabic language and literature, and conducting training workshops that empower them in language skills: speaking, reading, writing, and listening, to assist them in entering the diverse job market, such as education, language editing, journalistic writing, and media, as well as many jobs in both the public and private sectors that require proficiency in writing and expression in Arabic.
Mahmoud emphasized that the department encourages students to adhere to the Arabic language in speaking and writing across all social media platforms and is keen to celebrate World Arabic Language Day by initiating a project in the university that designates this day for speaking in simplified classical Arabic by all students and faculty members, holding seminars on how to preserve and protect the Arabic language and enhance its status, and organizing workshops for all university students and staff to train them on using the basics of Arabic in job-related tasks and correspondence.
Dr. Majed Al-Baharat, head of the Arabic Language Department at Al-Zaytoonah University, stated that the language is a fundamental pillar of national identity, and thus national institutions should focus on its care, refinement, and promotion not only locally but globally to enhance its status and take its required leading role to achieve its effective and important presence. These institutions, especially educational ones, bear the largest responsibility as they are the most widespread entities in society, directly or indirectly affecting all individuals.
Al-Baharat added that the Arabic language has a specificity derived from our religious and national identity; therefore, all our educational institutions should reinforce it as a language of communication among their members, both functionally and socially, to preserve their identity and cultural, linguistic, and cognitive achievements in an era where Arabic faces severe attacks due to globalization and digital technology, which has led to its lagging behind in keeping pace with scientific and technological advancements. Despite this, educational institutions bear the responsibility of developing scientific curricula in our Arabic language so that they do not remain confined to foreign languages. They should care about the content of the curricula presented to their students and ensure they instill values of citizenship and belonging to their heritage and history, solidifying their pure Arab identity through nurturing love for their language and belonging to it, and enhancing the use of the Arabic language in curricular and extracurricular activities, making Arabic the language of scientific research in our schools and universities and supporting magazines that publish in Arabic, facilitating avenues for publication and following up on them.
Al-Baharat affirmed the importance of focusing on Arabic digital content on global electronic research sites, allocating part of its budget to support this content and publishing in it by supporting researchers working in this field materially and morally, activating the use of the Arabic language within classrooms, emphasizing the use of simple classical Arabic that individuals accept, and avoiding verbose language that deters from the language.
Dr. Razan Ibrahim, a professor of modern criticism at Petra University, noted that discussing the issues of the Arabic language in our Arab surroundings arises from a deep, reflective view of the group of reasons and factors that hinder the realization of what we aspire to achieve in a genuine uplift of the Arabic language. This perspective necessarily leads to forming specialized committees dedicated to discussing the literature on defending the Arabic language and subsequently guiding our cultural and academic institutions to activate binding decisions that address the declining linguistic performance that increasingly worsens with the growing enjoyment of entertainment provided by contemporary technology.
Ibrahim emphasized the importance of systematic and serious work
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