The lack of spoken formal Arabic in public settings is taking center stage in Saudi Arabia, as a group of officials and language enthusiasts work to make speaking Arabic a requirement for public meetings.
A draft law approved by the Shoura Council of Saudi Arabia more than a year ago aims to change that. If implemented, the Arabic Language Protection Law would require all Saudi Arabian officials to speak Arabic when they address international forums, local meetings and official gatherings both in and outside the Kingdom.
Abdulaziz Khoja, the former minister of culture and information and also a well-known poet, pointed out that Arabic was a recognized language at the United Nations. He said, “It is preferable that we always speak in Arabic. It expresses better the ideas and thoughts we want to reflect,” according to Al Arabiya .
An editorial published by Fortune in 2012 pointed out that many educated and well-off citizens of throughout the Arab world are often weak in Arabic. Although literacy in Gulf states hovers around 98 percent, according to UNESCO, increasingly this literacy is in English and not necessarily in Arabic.
Throughout the region, many private schools provide their entire curriculum in English with Arabic relegated to one class. Wealthy and upper-middle class families are often more likely to speak English at home in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE as well as in other regional countries.
Yet not everyone is sure the draft law is the best solution to the growing problem. Ibrahim Ismail, a professor in Arabic at Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University told Al Arabiya, "Many of our officials are fluent in English and weak in classical Arabic. They can only speak in the local Saudi dialect, which will not be understandable to other people."
Of course, as the draft law doesn't stipulate any sort of punishment for officials who neglect to speak in Arabic, its unclear exactly how this law would be enforced if implemented.