College of Engineering Celebrates World Arabic Language Day
The Library Division at the College of Engineering, University of Samarra, in cooperation with the Government Media and Communications Division, organized an educational seminar coinciding with World Arabic Language Day. The seminar was presented by Dr. Muhannad Abdul Jabbar Hassan.
The lecturer highlighted the symbolic importance of December 18, the date on which the United Nations adopted Arabic as an official language in 1973. He emphasized the day’s role in promoting multilingualism and showcasing the cultural status of Arabic, which is spoken by over 400 million people and is an official language in more than 22 countries. Furthermore, he noted its significance as the language of the Holy Quran and a vessel for heritage and science.
The seminar covered the historical evolution of the Arabic language, from the Pre-Islamic era to the modern age. It shed light on the roles of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah honor him) and Abu al-Aswad al-Du’ali in codifying its grammar to combat linguistic errors (Lahn). It also explained the various levels of the language, ranging from classical heritage Arabic to contemporary Modern Standard Arabic and local dialects.
Moreover, the presenter reviewed the unique features of Arabic, including contextual flexibility where a single word can hold multiple and diverse meanings—such as the words (Al-Ayn, Al-Sa’ah, Al-Ummah, and Daraba).
This grants the language a semantic richness that is unparalleled in other languages.
At the conclusion of the seminar, Dr. Hassan debunked the prevailing belief regarding the difficulty of the Arabic language.
He argued that challenges lie in traditional teaching methods or lack of practice rather than the structure of the language itself, emphasizing that understanding and practice are the keys to overcoming these difficulties. He stressed that protecting the Arabic language is an ongoing responsibility that transcends annual celebrations, given its flexibility in keeping pace with technology and digitalization, which necessitates intensifying efforts to root it in the consciousness of future generations.
The seminar witnessed a notable attendance led by the Dean of the College, Assistant Professor Dr. Amjed Saleh Mahmood, and the Head of the Civil Engineering Department, along with a group of faculty members and staff who enriched the meeting with meaningful discussions. The event also included the distribution of symbolic gifts and an interactive competition on Arabic language sciences, which received wide acclaim and great engagement from the attendees.
