ABU DHABI, 18th December, 2019 (WAM) -- The Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development announced today, on the occasion of the UN Arabic Language Day, the preliminary results of the Status Report and the Future of the Arabic Language.

In conjunction with the UN Arabic Language Day held annually on 18th December, the study was launched last year, as directed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

The Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development formed a team of researchers and experts from various Arab universities in charge of compiling and analysing the research and data across the ten sections of the report.

Commenting on the preliminary results, Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, said, "The findings represented today show a need for adapting national tactics and policies relating to the Arabic language alongside technological and communication advancements. The UAE’s leadership are working towards plans in place for research and initiatives that will improve the usage and awareness of the Arabic language across education and communications."

"We call on all institutions, including local and international universities and organisations to contribute to the ongoing research, which is considered among the UAE’s crucial projects to combat the challenges of globalization in the 21st century with new methods of preserving and using the Arabic language," Al Kaabi added.

The reporting findings showed a need for more Arabic academic texts. According to the research, only 10 percent of academic publications under scientific disciplines are published in the Arabic language across the Arab world; this output is not proportional to the number of graduate researchers specialising in these disciplines.

One of the key findings shows that over 60 percent of Arab researchers choose to publish their studies in foreign languages in Western journals to ensure that their content is getting a wider circulation and reaching students globally. Despite their ability to publish in Arabic, 83 percent of researchers in sciences in particular also prefer not to publish in Arabic due to the lack of existing material to build on.

Under the report section entitled, 'The Arabic Language in New Worlds', the preliminary results indicated a growing interest in the Arabic language across America, Asia and Europe.

Several factors have been identified as contributors to this, including political developments in the Middle East region over the past two decades, and efforts in the cultural fields that aim to bring the Western and Arab cultures closer. The report also attributed the global efforts being undertaken to improve the social status of Arabic-speaking refugees in the West and reducing stereotypes towards Arabs and Muslims abroad by raising awareness about their mother tongue as a factor contributing to the rising interest in the language.

Economic and commercial factors related to the increasing trade exchange between Arab countries also show the need for an increased use of the Arabic language in the growing opportunities for travel and tourism.

Testament to this, there are 96 universities offering courses in Arabic as a foreign language in China. There are also 1,000 graduates from the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Centre for the Study of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Beijing University. In Japan, statistics from 2013 indicate that 46 universities offer Arabic as a foreign language as part of the course offerings.

Under the report section entitled 'Media Discourse in the Arabic Language', the initial results showed that classical Arabic faces great challenges, as it is no longer part of the common vernacular or used in digital media, including advertisements and social media. However, classical Arabic is often predominantly used in news reporting and in public forums moderated by the media.

One of the key issues identified is that formal Arabic is dwindling in use in Arab households as parents are not encouraging their offspring to peruse or learn the language in its formal dialect.

The report also highlighted the popularity of foreign languages that are rising in importance in international schools, which some consider a hindrance to the spread of Arabic. Also, the research reveals that many respondents think that foreign languages are of vital importance for the qualification to most government jobs without the need to master the Arabic language.

The UAE has demonstrated commitment to n paving the way with governmental and institutionalised initiatives to further awareness on the Arabic language.

The UAE’s major initiatives include the Mohammed bin Rashid Award for Arabic Language, the Abu Dhabi’s Arabic Language Authority, the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah, and the Arab Reading Challenge, in which 13.5 million students participated in its 2019 edition.

In 2017, the UAE launched the Translation Challenge, under the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Arabic eLearning Project, volunteers from the Arab world participated to create 5,000 educational videos for free, after the comprehensive challenge dedicated to 'Arabising' educational content in mathematics and sciences, offering over 50 million Arab students around the world access to Arabic material.

The UAE has also endeavoured to share international publications related to science and technology in Arabic, including the translations of MIT Technology Review, Marsad al Mostaqbal, National Geographic Arabic, and the Harvard Business Review Arabia.

The Arabic Language Day was established by the United Nations, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, in 2010. The day seeks to celebrate one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, with more than 290 million people speaking it every day.