UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay has described Arabic as one of the most widespread languages in the world, saying it is one of the pillars of human civilization.
“The Arabic language is one of the most widespread languages in the world, and it is the tongue of more than 422 million people, and through it they communicate and interact,” Azoulay said in a statement in a report released by the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth on the state of the Arabic language and its future.
“Arabic is one of the pillars of human civilization, and it is the language of innovation and exploration in the fields of science, medicine, astronomy, mathematics, philosophy and history, throughout the ages, and it was and still is a bridge of knowledge, across time and space and contributed through the centuries, with the rest World cultures, in the accumulation of the legacy of humanity.”
UAE’s Minister of Culture and Youth Noura Al Kaabi said "The State of the Arabic Language and Its Future” report constitutes a basis and a reference point to assist decision-makers in governments and private institutions at the regional and global levels in everything related to the Arabic language.
She noted that the report will be the first building block in the framework of a permanent case study project The Arabic language, and working to enhance its presence and use in its various forms.
The report focused on the most important issues of interest to decision-makers working in the Arabic language sector, she said.
The minister explained that this work is part of the UAE’s commitment to its cultural identity and its role as an active contributor to the cultural identity of the region.
Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan also said in the report that the Arabic language has received great attention from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
Saudi Arabia placed the language in a major position in all its systems and regulations, he said.
As for Sheikha Mai bint Muhammad Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, she described language as a mother.
“Language preserves identity and its first embrace. It is the first word that we wake up to in this world.”
The report showed the growth of digital publishing platforms in the Arabic language, as the number of novels published on one of the platforms reached 2,600 novels, while the number of views of some novels reached 10 million.
The report also found that Arabic is among the most used languages on the internet, and pointed to a high demand by non-Arabic speakers to learn Arabic.
