Is Standard Arabic Dying?

Abstract

This paper aimed at investigating the issue of the future of the Arabic Language with special attention given to exploring the following questions: (1) What are the factors that enhanced the prominent Arabic Language status in the past?(2)What are the phenomena that anticipate the death of the Arabic Language?(3) What are the factors that influenced the Arabic Language and led to the likelihood of its deterioration? (4)What are the best strategies to revive the past prominent status of the Arabic language and to stop its deterioration? More specifically, the paper discussed the status of the Arabic Language with regard to the different chronological stages it experienced during different historical eras. It also explored the influence of colonialism, globalization, current educational systems in the Arab countries and the political Arab scene on the status of the Arabic Language. The paper highlighted different linguistic and social phenomena that anticipate the " death " of the Arabic Language, such as " Arabization " , " Englishization " , " Diglossia " , and " Code-Switching " Authentic visual examples of these linguistic phenomena were provided to elucidate their negative impact on the Arabic Language. More focus was directed to the status of the Arabic Language in the Gulf Countries: conferences and recommendations suggested to protect the standard Arabic Language.In conclusion, this paper, by closely analyzing the current status of the Arabic Language, shed light on the little-recognized issue of strategic plans to protect the identity of the Arab nations. Introduction: " Language is one manifestation of progress or regression of nations " identity. " Gibran Khaleel Gibran (cited in Haydar, 1999). The future of the Arabic Language is an argumentative issue that has aroused a critical controversy among researchers and linguists (Maamouri, 1998; Haydar, 1999; Bader, 2003; Al-Omari, 2013; Al-Ateeha, 2013). Some believe that Arabic is the best mode of manifestation of literature and science. Others are lamenting the status Arabic Language is having these days. Arabic has recently faced several challenges that require exerting all efforts to overcome them. These challenges have implicitly influenced the Arab culture as " Language is the hardest rib in the trilogy: Language -Culture -Identity. " Sheikha Moza Al-Thani (cited in Al Kuwari, 2012). There are two forms of the Arabic Language. The first form is al-fuṣḥá, a word translated into English as " the most eloquent. " This has two types: Classical Arabic (CA), the Quranic Arabic and literary Arabic, the form of the Arabic Language used in literary texts during the 7th to the 9th centuries. The other form of al-fuṣḥá is the Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). It is the form used today in writing and in formal speaking, such as prepared speeches, some radio broadcasts, and non-entertainment content. In addition to al-fuṣḥá, there are Modern Spoken Arabic – known by the name " ammiyyah or darijah, commonly used for daily life communications; it usually varies from one Arab country or region to another (Sbait, n.d.). Still, all spoken Arabic varieties (referred to as dialects) are mostly connected with the Standard Arabic, and they all are inter-related; thus, it is relatively easy for an Arab of a particular country to understand an Arab of a different country when they communicate in standard Arabic. Consequently, contemporary standard and spoken Arabic have the phenomenon of diglossia (Alshamrani, 2012), a linguistic phenomenon that will be discussed in the following pages of the current review. There are phonological, lexical and syntactical differences among these vernaculars and between them and the Modern Standard Arabic. (Miller, 2004). Classical Arabic was a prominent language in the past centures. The Arabic language is Semitic in origin. It is the language of the Holy Qur " an. Classical Arabic emerged in the 5th century A.D. or earlier. Arab poets, historians, scholars, scientists, and philosophers used it for many centuries, especially during the Golden Ages of the prosperous Poetry and Literature, the beginning of the Islamic civilization in the Pinensula (Sbait, n.d.). Besides, it is the language of the Arabs " contributions to all areas of epistemology. Arabic books were translated into many languages and are now taught at foreign universities; Al-Khwarizmi " s, Al-Bairuni " s, Ibn Sina " s and Al-Razi " s are few examples. The American President Obama, in his June 4, 2009 speech in Cairo praised Muslims for their historical scientific and intellectual contributions to civilization: he said, It was Islam that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe " s Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. (Ofek, 2011: 4). Recently, the status of the Arabic Language is influenced by different sociolinguistic phenomena that anticipate its deterioration. These include: code-switching, diglossia, Englishization, and Arabization.