Case study on multilingualism in UAE PDF

MULTILINGUALISM IN UAE
MULTILINGUALISM IN DUBAI- UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: CASE STUDY
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MULTILINGUALISM IN UAE
INTRODUCTION
The fact that the basis of development in a country is completely dependent on a natural
resource, oil, is very intriguing and shocking. The earlier or traditional modes of occupation were
more varied than now. In the past, Emirates was a relatively humble country, whose citizens
made a living mainly from maritime occupations which include fishing and engagement in trade
with other regions such as the East Africa region, Iran and the Indian sub-continent (Zahlan,
2016). The discovery of oil led to widespread opportunities in this country since a large pool of
experts were brought in to offer labor services to an economy that was growing at a very high
percentage.
As a result of the increased entry of migrant labor from other nations, the demographics of
this country also changed leading to Emirates being a smaller number of the population in their
home country (Al-Gazali, Alwash, & Abdulrazzaq, 2005). This made it a necessity for the
natives to adopt English as their second language so as to aid in communication with other
groups of people who come from all over the world looking for opportunities. As a result of the
development of the multilingual society in this region, the natives tried to mix Arabic and
English so as to communicate easily. This is because it has become a requirement for people to
develop multilingual capabilities .The advantages and benefits of globalization and diversity can
be tempting, for the current youth of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is because they are the
first generation growing up during this fast transformation in the UAE, making the appropriate
social and linguistic choices can be quite stimulating (O’Neill, 2017).
It is easy for one to distinguish locals from foreigners since the natives are stereotyped in terms
of their linguistic and cultural identities. In this paper, I will use the Labov’s model of Narrative
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MULTILINGUALISM IN UAE
Enquiry, to investigate how a local's multilinguistic identity is shaped and sometimes stereotyped
in a diverse society like Dubai, through the eyes of a young female Emirati called “Shaikha”.
Multilingualism in UAE’s local society
Multilingualism has become a global trend in every country. Even for those countries
which are known to be the most monolingual. There must exist a certain group of people that
speak a language other than the language spoken in those countries. Multilingualism can be
defined as the use of more than one language either by an individual or a group of speakers.
According to O’Neill (2016), stated that many local Emiratis see themselves as multilingual
individuals, but also think of languages as circumscribed, isolated units that function in particular
dominions. In Dubai, multilingualism is seen as a national demographic, where English
specifically is considered as a crucial part of the personal and career improvement. Hence,
families try to develop linguistic knowledge of both English and Arabic in their children. Still,
many families are placed within a firm language philosophy where Arabic, especially Emirati-
Arabic, presents the Emirati identity, whereas the standard Arabic symbolizes a larger Arabic
and Muslim identity. This means that a firm strategy of only Arabic, is followed by the family.
English is not totally neglected but it is allocated outside, in school, work and interactions with
non-Arabic speakers. This made other families adapt more flexible heteroglossia, in which the
walls between the two languages demolished, and Emiratis started using both a linguistic and
nonlinguistic means to communicate. For example, they started using a term called Arabizi, to
represent their mix between Arabic and English.
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