Losing the language of the Koran
Arabic is being swamped by English
It might have been a party just for Westerners. Young men snogged in the corridor. Girls downed tumblers of wine. The real shock, though, was the hubbub of voices. Though this was a gathering of young Emiratis, almost everyone was chatting in English. Nowadays it is becoming the dominant tongue of the Gulf.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Swamped by English”
From the October 1st 2022 edition
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