Leading thinkers and researchers have called on youngsters to connect their expertise with the Arabic language.
During a seminar at the Al Dhafra Book Festival 2023, experts who are also members of the Arabic Language Youth Council discussed the current state of the Arabic language and their role in promoting Arabic content on social media.
“Our limited use of the Arabic language has led our self-expression to decline,” said Jawaher Al Ameri, who has been classified as an Emirati thinker in the ‘Mufakiru Al Emarat’ initiative at the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research.
Speaking at a seminar titled ‘The Relationship of Arab Youth Today with the Linguistic Heritage of the Arabic Language’, Al Ameri noted there has been a significant disconnect from the Arabic language due to openness to other cultures, and people speaking English as a common language.
“This is where our role begins in designing creative initiatives to preserve the language and communicate our message,” said Al Ameri, an expert in high-power lasers.
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Al Ameri pointed out that she aims to connect her expertise in lasers with the Arabic language.
“My goal is to make it the language of the sciences, including energy and artificial intelligence, where there are Arabic equivalents for only a few limited terms. In my field of work, there are no Arabic terms, and my ambition is to introduce them for this field and stop using any non-Arabic ones,” Al Ameri underlined.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Rachdan, content creator and linguistic content producer for the past three seasons of the Arab Reading Challenge, highlighted his relationship with the Arabic language, which began from a young age amid the transition from paper to advanced digital technology.
“The prevailing stereotype is that the Arabic language is boring and heavy, and in the Arabic Language Youth Council, we decided to break this stereotype and present it to everyone in a simple and engaging way.”
Rachdan said that he tries to make a difference in presenting the Arabic language in a simplified manner on his show ‘Basita’, which is dedicated to explaining Arabic grammar. He also has a programme called ‘Midad’ that aims to create visual content that brings the young generation closer to Arabic calligraphy. “We should take advantage of modern media, which provides a good platform to communicate our message. We should all work together on the idea of reviving Arabic content,” Rachdan added.