Tag: Abdullah Al Washmi

SAUDI ARABIA / FRANCE: ‘Arabic Language Month – October 07th, Paris, France. Experts highlight historical role of Arabic language as bridge between cultures.

Arabic and French experts this week underlined the importance of learning languages to enhance intellectual and cultural communication.

At an event in France to mark Arabic Language Month, they noted how, without the Arabic language, the world would not have been able to access a significant portion of the intellectual heritage of Greek philosophers, as well as mathematics and sciences from ancient times.

Hamdi Al-Adawi, professor of linguistics at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, described the role of language in expressing a person’s inner thoughts and feelings, and described the historical interplay between Arabic and French.

“The Arabic language has played a vital role towards affirming the role of Islam in enhancing communication between different civilizations, blending civilizations, and fostering the exchange of cultures,” he told Arab News.

Al-Adawi noted that the convergence of certain words, concepts and meanings between languages is key to accepting other cultures and coexisting peacefully with them.

He also said that there are many shared terms among languages, which encourages leveraging these similarities to understand the commonalities between these languages and their cultural connotation.

Al-Adawi concluded that the cultural exchange between the Arabic and French languages is tangible and well documented.

Some examples include the Belgian orientalist Henri Lammens, who identified more than 700 Arabic words in his French-language writings in the early 20th century, and the French writer Pierre Giraud who acknowledged the influence of Arabic on the French language, providing a list of 280 Arabic words that were used in French during different periods.

Jack Lang, the secretary-general of the Arab World Institute, said that “the Arabic language is music, and it is a global language.” He noted that it ranks fifth among the most spoken languages in the world.

“We cannot ignore the fact that the Arabic language has served as a bridge for communication between peoples. Without the Arabic language, we would not have been able to access a significant portion of Greek philosophers, nor mathematics and sciences from ancient times,” he said.

Lang, who is a former French minister of education, highlighted the efforts being made by Saudi Arabia to preserve the Arabic language, saying that the Kingdom was “moving towards exerting a considerable cultural effort.”

He added that he currently observes “large cultural events happening throughout Saudi Arabia.”

He also praised Saudi Arabia’s role in assisting other countries in their commitment to the Arabic language through the Arab World Institute, which is based in Paris.

Lang noted the intention to establish a House of the Arabic Language in France, in collaboration with King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language.

KSGAAL launched Arabic Language Month in France on Oct. 7, in collaboration with the Arab World Institute.

Events included a seminar, a panel discussion and a scientific competition focused on the art of diction, with participation from several contestants.

Abdullah Al-Washmi, secretary-general of KSGAAL, said that the academy is active in various fields to promote the Arabic language, locally and globally.

The academy launched the Arabic Language Month program in France, which aimed to display KSGAAL activities related to teaching Arabic to non-native speakers and to highlight the Kingdom’s efforts in serving the Arabic language and its sciences worldwide.

Additionally, the academy is working to offer training programs to enhance teachers’ competencies and improve Arabic language learning outcomes for students, in line with the objectives of the Human Capability Development Program, one of the initiatives under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by interested individuals and intellectuals, led by the Kingdom’s ambassador to France, Fahad Al-Ruwaili.

KSGAAL will continue the activities of Arabic Language Month in France on Nov. 1, featuring tours in several French cities in collaboration with French and international educational institutions.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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The Arabic Language Month in France featured several linguistic competitions. The awards were presented by Fahad Al-Ruwaili, Saudi Ambassador to France, Jack Lang, Secretary-General of the Arab Institute in France, and Abdullah Al-Washmi, Secretary-General of King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (from the right: the first, the third and fourth respectively)

A group photo of the participants in the Arabic Language Month in France, which commenced on Monday, shows the Saudi ambassador in the second row from the left, sixth from the group

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SAUDI ARABIA

ARABIC POEMS, Pre-Islamic Era: Poetry in the Spotlight as ‘Khawalid’ Platform Records 1,000 Historic Poems

The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language has launched the “Khawalid” initiative, an audio platform that aims to record 1,000 selected poems from the pre-Islamic era, in line with the Ministry of Culture’s Year of Arabic Poetry.

Abdullah Al-Washmi, secretary-general of KSGAFAL, told Arab News that the initiative, which translates to “living forever,” aimed at enriching Arabic content in various media.

He said: “Strengthening the role of the Arabic language is part of the set of goals from which the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language‎ stems.”

One of its goals is to highlight the scientific, cultural and civilizational status of the Arabic language. It aims to create a platform that helps preserve Arabic content in the field of poetry.

Al-Washmi added that it will also make poetry, especially Arabic poems from the pre-Islamic era, more accessible to the public.

He said: “It highlights the value of the Arabic language, which expresses the linguistic depth in Saudi Arabia, to bring it closer to the public and endear them to it, to deepen its status, and to raise awareness of it as an integral part of the identity of the Arab person.”

The initiative will focus on the era that began approximately 150 to 200 years before Islam, and the KSGAFAL will direct work over all stages.

Its task will involve verifying work and its attribution to its author, along with determining the meaning and integrity of the content.

The selection will be limited to poems that are no less than 10 verses, taking into account the diversity of the poets and the selected works.

Al-Washmi said: “‎Poetry in the pre-Islamic era constitutes an important literary material that can be invested in building linguistic knowledge, enriching the artistic and aesthetic experience, and contributing to linking the contemporary generation with its authentic literary heritage.

“‎This initiative confirms the KSGAFAL’s interest in the culture and arts of the Arabic language, in addition to its great care in planning, teaching and computerizing it, striving in all of this to achieve its goals, which are a target of the Human Capacity Development Program, one of the Saudi Vision 2030 initiatives.”

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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ARABIC POEMS / SAUDI ARABIA