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The Arabic language is an essential part of our identity and culture and is considered one of the oldest and richest languages in the world.
It is one of the oldest and most influential Semitic languages in the world, sacred for Muslims because it is the language of the Holy Quran, and thus carries great religious and cultural value.
It is also the language of the Arab literary and cultural heritage, and its vocabulary and words include many proverbs, sayings and poetry that express the depth of Arab civilisation and its long history.
However, today we find our children lacking in the mastery of the language. This is due to several factors, including the way we raise our children and our choice to speak English with them constantly, even at home. With parents insisting on this practice, the risk of losing the national linguistic identity increases.
Some parents prefer speaking to their children in English, thinking that this will improve their chances in future and give them a competitive advantage in study and work. However, this may negatively affect their level of proficiency in the Arabic language, as they do not have enough opportunity to acquire basic language skills in their mother tongue, which leads to weak communication and a sense of cultural and national belonging.
Continuously watching movies, TV series and electronic content in English also creates a barrier for children to master their mother tongue.
This weakness results in multiple social and cultural problems, including the loss of linguistic identity that connects a person to his roots and culture. Language is not only a means of communication, but also a vessel for culture, heritage and history.
Children who do not master Arabic will inevitably face difficulty in understanding religious texts and literary writings that carry deep cultural meanings, which makes them less able to understand the teachings of their religion and appreciate their literary and intellectual heritage.
Change must start from the home, where parents should speak to their children in Arabic and show pride in it. Reading Arabic books and stories, and ensuring that children listen to good Arabic content can also help.
The Arabic language must be integrated into lessons in a way that makes the study material enjoyable and attractive to students.
The media can also play an important role, by producing purposeful programmes and series in the Arabic language.
What set me thinking on this line was watching a video clip of a Bahraini official delivering Bahrain’s speech at an international forum. Her Arabic was so bad that it caused a public outrage. I don’t blame her; maybe she didn’t have a proper grounding in the language. I blame her superiors who allowed her to deliver the speech in Arabic. Had she delivered it in English, it could have been better.
Instilling a love for the Arabic language in children requires a commitment and joint effort between the family, the school and society as a whole.
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