Arabic has been spoken in the lands that now constitute the UAE for more than a millennium.
These days, however, it is as likely - if not more so - to hear English, the language of globalisation, in the corridors of commerce or the halls of education. Federal universities have long conducted classes in English and fewer government secondary schools are teaching science and mathematics in Arabic. Many Emirati parents have taken their children out of the state school system and placed them in private schools that teach almost exclusively in English, believing that they will receive a better education.
It is not greatly surprising then that some young Emiratis struggle with Arabic, which has, in turn, led to widespread concern among government officials and others, since language is an integral part of identity.
One response of the Government was to declare last year the "year of national identity". During a conference on the topic in April, some officials warned that the country's very character could be threatened if foreign influences became any stronger.
It is against this backdrop that Zayed University is setting up a centre to study bilingualism and bilingual education in the Arab world. One of its missions is to examine the state of Arabic in the modern world. The institute, which is to open in September, plans to address the problem from a novel perspective.
"This is a response to the anxieties," says Dr Jeffrey Belnap, Zayed University's associate provost and director of the Abu Dhabi campus.
"It's easy to see this as an either/or situation - that English is swamping Arabic, or that Arabic has to be learnt before anything else.
"But a premise of this centre is that multilingualism is the name of the game in the 21st century. We see the languages not as alternatives, but things that need to be thought of together. Arabic can be strengthened as English is strengthened.
"People can have an intimate knowledge of Arabic for everyday life, while English is necessary as the language of international communication."
The centre's director, Dr Ingrid Piller, a German researcher who was recently director of a centre in Australia that looked into ways to help immigrants improve their English skills, says it will reinforce the idea that "one language doesn't need to push the other out".
"There is a belief that languages take up brain space, but that's not how it works. Instead, it creates additional language synapses. Bilinguals have a number of advantages with languages. It makes it easier to learn other languages. We want to promote some of the benefits of bilingualism and deal with some of the negative metaphors about one language killing another."
One of the centre's first tasks will be to compile a review of language use in the UAE, identifying when and by whom different languages are used and what levels of fluency are required for different purposes. It will also study bilingual people to learn the keys to achieving fluency in more than one language.
"We want to find out how people become bilingual, what makes it a smooth process so they can read and write at a sophisticated technical level," Dr Piller says. "What can a school do to generate more of them?"
Researchers will study parts of the world such as Switzerland, Singapore and French-speaking areas of Canada where bilingualism or multilingualism works well. They will also look at places such as Hong Kong and Indonesia where bilingualism is not as well established.
"There are lots of universities, such as many of the Indian universities, and multinational corporations around the world that are multilingual," Dr Piller says. "We want to learn from their successes and their mistakes. If you look globally, it's monolingual societies that are the exception.
"Most people speak one language at home, learn a different one at school and another at university. In many countries this is completely natural. Bilingualism is not necessarily a problem."
She cautions, however, that multilingual societies sometimes create the potential for exclusion.
In Mozambique, for example, where the courts use Portuguese, some believe it is more difficult to get a fair trial because only a fifth of the population speaks the language. Similar issues could arise in the UAE.
"In a society like the UAE, Arabic and English are important in public life. English is important to gain access to all kinds of services and privileges and in some jobs you really need to be proficient in these two languages," Dr Piller says. "Not being proficient can result in exclusion. People can find it hard to get a job or they may not understand what their teacher is saying."
Abdullah al Obaidli, 20, an Emirati communication technology student at Abu Dhabi Men's College, says that is a legitimate concern, since there is considerable pressure to speak English.
"In public situations you cannot speak Arabic and when you have employees from different countries you need to speak English."
His classmate, Sameer al Jaberi, also 20, is fluent in both languages, but notes that many of his friends are not.
He says Emiratis educated at private schools where most lessons are taught in English are the ones most likely to have lost their fluency in Arabic. But Mr al Jaberi says that even some of those who, like him, attended government institutions are sometimes less adept in Arabic than may be expected.
"We don't have many activities that make us practise in Arabic," he says. "It's more on paper. And here in college we don't use Arabic at all, except in our Arabic classes."
The centre, which is being funded by the National Research Foundation, hopes its findings will be useful across the Arab world. It will be based at Zayed University's Abu Dhabi campus and will employ multilingual researchers as well as visiting scholars.
Postgraduate and undergraduate students from the university are also expected to take part in research.
It plans to set up, at an early stage, an international conference on bilingualism after forging links with researchers at institutes in other countries.
Dr Annie Brown, an official at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and one of the centre's two principal investigators, says that through such collaboration, it will be possible to create "a body of research about Arabic in general.
"It would be great if parallel research projects developed elsewhere."
dbardsley@thenational.ae
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
Race%20card
%3Cp%3E6pm%3A%20Al%20Maktoum%20Challenge%20Round%201%20%E2%80%93%20Group%201%20(PA)%20%2450%2C000%20(Dirt)%201%2C600m%3Cbr%3E6.35pm%3A%20Dubai%20Racing%20Club%20Classic%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20%24100%2C000%20(D)%202%2C410m%3Cbr%3E7.10pm%3A%20Dubawi%20Stakes%20%E2%80%93%20Group%203%20(TB)%20%24150%2C000%20(D)%201%2C200m%3Cbr%3E7.45pm%3A%20Jumeirah%20Classic%20Trial%20%E2%80%93%20Conditions%20(TB)%20%24150%2C000%20(Turf)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E8.20pm%3A%20Al%20Maktoum%20Challenge%20Round%201%20%E2%80%93%20Group%202%20(TB)%20%24250%2C000%20(D)%201%2C600m%3Cbr%3E8.55pm%3A%20Al%20Fahidi%20Fort%20%E2%80%93%20Group%202%20(TB)%20%24180%2C000%20(T)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E9.30pm%3A%20Ertijaal%20Dubai%20Dash%20%E2%80%93%20Listed%20(TB)%20%24100%2C000%20(T)%201%2C000m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
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NBA Finals results
Game 1: Warriors 124, Cavaliers 114
Game 2: Warriors 122, Cavaliers 103
Game 3: Cavaliers 102, Warriors 110
Game 4: In Cleveland, Sunday (Monday morning UAE)
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia
Three Penalties
v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)
v Panama, Group Stage (Kane)
v Colombia, Last 16 (Kane)
Four Corners
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via Harry Maguire header, from Kieran Trippier corner)
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)
v Sweden, Quarter-Final (Maguire, header, from Young corner)
One Free-Kick
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, via Jordan Henderson, Kane header, and Raheem Sterling, from Tripper free-kick)