Arabizi is a language that is used in modern Arabic-speaking countries. It is a system of writing Arabic using English characters, so it is considered a combination of Arabic and English languages. It is mostly used in a text messaging system over the internet and cellular phones, and that is because most of cellular phones did not support Arabic language or Arabic characters. Also, Arabic language was thought of as more difficult to use, therefore this new language was invented. Arabizi is used to replace Arabic writing letters, and this raises concerns regarding the preservation of the quality and purity of the Arabic language. In this essay, I will discuss why it appeared, its effect on our Arabic identity and whether or not purity of Arabic needs to be defended.
Ahmad: Hey Omar, how are you? Fenak?
Omar: Hey Ahmad, Ana kont fe school today.
This is a conversation that is happening nowadays hundreds of times in Egypt, Amman, Beirut, Kuwait or any other Arab country. This trend is now widely spreading among English-educated youth in Eastern Arabic countries. So most of the youth now are following them so that they can keep up with the trend (Radi, Arabizi). During the last decades of the 20th century, a lot of youth have been using Arabizi as a language for communications with others. The reasons for the spreading of Arabizi are numerous as English language preceded over the Internet and on cell phones. Since Arabic was not accessible through this technology, the only way to communicate in the digital world was by Latinizing the Arabic alphabet (sperrazza, I am not my tongue). Youth found it easier to write in Arabizi, and with the increased use of the Internet and short text messages, some Arabic speakers decided to utilize th...
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...c is the real identity. But now, youth have identity clashes and crises and they cannot choose only one side. Youth now are somehow aware of the effect of using Arabizi. They started campaigns to call for writing in either Arabic or English, but not a mixed language, and if possible write in Fusha, classical Arabic. Arabizi appeared for a reason but there is a solution now, as such, Arabs have to get back to their genuine language that makes them unique from other people around the world. Campaigns are now held to preserve the Arabic language and defend the purity of Arabic. The UN also declared a day called the International day of Arabic and it is held on the 18th of December. It is to promote multilingualism and cultural diversity, also to celebrate Arabic language’s role and contribution to the safeguarding and dissemination of human civilization and culture.
Ebonics is not the only language of the African diaspora that preserved its Africanity. In addition to several African influenced creoles, the Gullah language of the Sea Islands is reflective of African spirituality and philosophy. The Gullah language developed among enslaved Africans along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, as well as the Sea Islands (Turner, 1). This region can be referred to as the Coast. In the early 18th century slaves from the West Indies, where resistance had grown common, as well as rebellious slaves from various colonies were being sent to the Coast. Taxes were placed upon these imported slaves because they were thought to have the ability of corrupting the slave system on the coast. Thus, slave
Language is truly part of our identity: our languages shape who we are. That is why we always have to be tolerant and comprehensive with others’ accents, typical phrases, or grammatical errors. Writers that really make an impact when referring to language and identity are Gloria Anzaldua and Amy Tan, with their readings “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” and “Mother Tongue” respectively. These two writers, with completely different backgrounds, shared their views about how language and identity are intertwined.
Joyce, James. "Araby." Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. Eds. John Clifford and John Schilb. Boston: Bedford, 1999. 728-32.
Language is a means of communication and it varies from one community to another. Everyone has a mother tongue which depended on the family’s upbringing. A second language can be learned along the way. There are also instances where a person is born in a community that speaks two languages and therefore, had to learn both languages. The quality of the languages learned will be affected by how well the community speaks both languages. This can later develop into a new form of language. The essay describes the frustration of the author who felt rejected by different groups for speaking a different form of language. Her essay aims to gain sympathy from readers by seeing the issue from her point of view. Anzaldua attempts to achieve this in her essay by raising issues on identity and discrimination. She wanted to highlight that language is not determined by a country’s physical borders.
Joyce, James. "Araby." Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. By X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 4th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 316-21. Print.
Hourani, Albert. A History of the Arab Peoples. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 1991. Print.
Abraham, Nabeel . "Demographics." The Arab American Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. .
Mourtada, R., & Salem, F. (2012). Social media in the Arab world: influencing societal and cultural
Granada: Alhambra (fort, palaces & gardens), Albaicin (old Arab Quarter) and New Mosque of Granada and more.
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Arabs primarily speak Arabic with “variations in the dialects, words, and meanings in different Arab countries” (Lipson & Dubble, 2007, p. 43). Despite the different variations, most Arabs understand each other. All Muslims are required to read the Koran that is written in Arabic. While they all read this, not all speak Arabic fluently, or at all in some cases. There are some ethnic minorities that speak their own language, and are not understood by most of the surrounding populations. In the United States, nearly 600,000 people speak Arabic in their own homes; professionals and business p...
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In the story ‘The Veil’ by Marjane Satrapi, the writer expresses how she experienced culture shock due to the veils that were introduced in 1980s due to the Islamic revolution (Satrapi). They were hot to live with and the students said that they made them resemble dark monsters. Acculturation is very important in language acquisition meaning that when speakers of a language fails to acculturate with the set social norms of the second language, they will be lost and will form a language of their own like slang because they try to modif...
Society and the way it works has changed tremendously over the years. Business between countries has grown and connections have grown with it as well.The world is a boundless place full of many different cultures and has “roughly 6,900” languages around the world that are all unique in their own way (source B). Although there is an overwhelming
Usually differences of ethnics, cultures and religions lead to sorts of misunderstanding between people from different societies. People are usually judged according to their behavior in public spaces which might be a result of their culture, education, or social class. An article, “The Arab world” (1996), written by Edward T. Hall, an American anthropologist and writer, discusses the cultural misconceptions between Americans and the Arabs. The article points many of social behaviors acted by Arab individuals that seem weird and sometimes astonishing and inconvenient to the Americans and Westerners. In addition, Hall includes examples of plenty of social behaviors that he thinks are the theme of the Arabic culture along with few personal experiences that led him to conclude that it is really difficult for Europeans and Americans to understand Arabs. Despite the presence of some good points, the article is greatly biased and prejudiced against Arabs, and it is clearly noticed that the author has a misconception of the Arabic and Middle Eastern culture.