DUBAI, U.A.E. - Many Arab youth believe is losing its language value as more and more
of their peers are conversing more in English, the Arab Youth Survey found. For example, in Dubai although Arabic is the official language of the UAE, English is the most spoken language.
Three out of four (73 per cent) respondents agree that the Arabic language is central to their identity.
On the other hand, almost half of those polled (47 per cent) say that the Arabic language is losing its value while one in three (34 per cent) disagrees.
Furthermore, two out of three respondents (63 per cent)
agree that knowing English can advance their career more than knowing Arabic.Significantly, 36 per cent of young Arabs use English more than Arabic on a daily basis, the survey found.
The phenomenon is particularly prevalent in the GCC where 56 per cent say they use English more than Arabic, versus 24 per cent in non-GCC countries.
- As a result, two in three (63 per cent) are concerned about the declining use of Arabic with a fairly even split between GCC (61 per cent) and non-GCC (65 per cent).
- In context of this concern, youth in the GCC are more confident about their national government’s ability to deal with the issue, with 69 per cent expressing confidence that their government can preserve the Arabic language.
Source: Agency
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