Dubai: The “Abjed” initiative, which aims to improve Arabic dictionaries with new alternative terminology to the most frequently used foreign phrases among Arabic speakers in all social and economic spheres, has been unveiled by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture).
This new development was made public as a result of the Authority’s involvement in the events surrounding the 15th annual Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, which is taking place from February 1–6. In line with Dubai’s and the UAE’s visions, which place the Arabic language among their strategic and developmental priorities and support initiatives to spread culture and establish Arabic everywhere, this initiative aims to strengthen the language’s position in the community as a crucial component of the national identity.
Dr. Saeed Mubarak bin Kharbash, CEO of the Arts and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, affirmed that ‘Abjed’ initiative represents a qualitative step on the road to enriching the Arabic language with new vocabulary and terminology, quoting, “Languages are affected by trends, cultures and traditions. Throughout history, the Arabic language was able to express our culture and intellectual orientations, and was distinguished by its ability to adapt to social, economic and scientific changes as well, thanks to the multiplicity of its expressions, quotations and derivations, which made it one of the pillars of human civilisation.”
“With the expansion of our openness to other cultures, we have witnessed in recent years the widespread use of many foreign terms in the Arab region, especially related to daily and professional life, which indicates the importance of updating Arabic dictionaries and providing them with new synonyms to foreign terms that express the same meaning,” the CEO added.
Dubai Culture has developed particular criteria for choosing the vocabulary that will be added to Arabic dictionaries by evaluating its compatibility with literary and everyday expressions. The committee will create lists that are consistent with the nature of Arabic and express the most widely used foreign terms in the area, after which the writers and experts in the Arabic language will evaluate and choose the appropriate words suggested by the general public. These lists will then be added to dictionaries and made available for use by the general public.
The public has the opportunity to submit new words by visiting the initiative booth at the Intercontinental Dubai Festival City Hotel, which is the location of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.