“Arabizi” Shows Languages Aren’t Static

The development of language is one of mankind’s greatest achievements. To a great many (usually older) people, though, the kids today are destroying language with their abuse of slang and ignorance of how things ought to be. Had this bunch had their way, Spanish, French and Italian would never have evolved from Latin, which would mean no Cervantes, Dumas or Dante. A documentary by a young Jordanian woman, Dalia Alkury, looks at how English has affected Arabic as spoken in her nation. “Arabizi” is the film’s name, derived from Arabic and “Inglizi,” the Arabic word for “English.”

Language evolves because words fail the speaker. A new term or connection between words must be made. “Internet” is a good example; derived from “interconnected computer networks,” there was no need for the term until recently, so no language had it. The word “internet” is used in English and other tongues to describe this thing. Ms. Alkury said, “It is easier to express yourself in English about topics that are considered taboo, like sex. I can't speak about sex with my friends in Arabic. The words are too heavy and culturally loaded. It all sounds ‘haram’ [which is best rendered ‘sinful’]. I feel more free in English. ‘Arabizi’ is a way to escape taboos."

“Arabizi” also reflects another force that causes changes in language, the injection of different cultures. In the US, one hears complaints that white suburban kids are talking like they’re black kids from the projects, or that “Spanglish” is the unofficial language of California and Texas. Outside the US, one hears the words “homeboy,” “zonked” and “chilling” in non-American forms of English and even in languages other than English.

For the speakers of Arabizi, English is a status symbol. Just as the old aristocracy of Tsarist Russia spoke French rather than Russian, or as the social climbers in the Anglophone world lace their speech with French, kids in Jordan will throw in some English word to be “cool,” for want of a better word. Indeed, “cool” didn’t become cool until the jazz musicians who used it made it so. Arabizi marks the speaker as one who, if not embracing western values and ideas, has at least been exposed to them. Outside the bigger cities, in village where no one has been abroad, the Arabic is untouched by external influences, or so says Ms. Alfury. Using an English term while speaking Arabic says the speaker is fashionable and worldly.

The trouble comes when the language reflects social distinctions of status. Where are the French-speaking Russian aristocrats today? However, that unhappy state of affairs arose not because the rich Russians spoke only French and the poor spoke only Russian. It came about because of the huge gaps between rich and poor Russians. To the extent that the same gaps are arising Jordan, there are grounds for concern, but the language choices only mirror the problem. So, chill out, habibi.


© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
Produced using Fedora Linux.

Home