Background and Purpose
It is said that in the majority of cases, students of higher educational establishments in the UAE prefer English to Arabic. Taking into consideration the widespread occurrence of English in the UAE as well as in the Arabian Gulf countries, this fact is quite natural. English has been implemented as a compulsory course from elementary schools to universities. All schools under the authority of the Abu Dhabi Educational Council have been issued instructions to teach exact sciences in English. As Noursi (2013) puts it, “the attitude of the students towards learning the English language has got a queen position” (p.21).
Hanani (2009) states that “English is perceived to be fundamental for any student seeking a prosperous career” (p.3). It may be explained by the fact that English is an international language, and due to this fact, fluency in English is associated with the key to success in the UAE.
Needs and benefits
Our report focusses on the language needs in the UAE and the problem of the coexistence of English and Arabic. Actually, English is replacing Arabic in the UAE (Randall and Sammi, 2010). Such widespread of English causes different social problems. There are many people who are not satisfied with the existing expansion of the English language. They are apt to think that English influences the quality of the Arabic language badly. Taking into consideration the above-mentioned facts, we think that the topic of our report is very important.
Aims
The main aim of this report is to identify the attitude towards studying and using English relatively different age groups. We are also planning to research previous studies and to compare their data with the results of our survey.
Method
In our survey, the participants were given products of different trademarks. They were asked to choose one of them. The participants were citizens of the UAE of different gender aged from 18 to 65. The main aim of the survey was to reveal the language preferences of participants and their attitude towards English and Arabic.
Findings and Conclusion
Taking into consideration the results of our research, it is possible to determine the definite dependence between the age of the participant and their language preferences. According to our data, the representatives of the younger generation prefer to use English. People aged from 35 to 45 were neutral in their choice stating that they are fluent both in English and Arabic. Persons from 45 years and older prefer to use Arabic.
Moreover, in a certain manner it is possible to conclude that our results coincide with the data form previous studies. Noursi (2013) states that the majority of students show their positive attitude to English, while elderly people prefer to speak Arabian (p.24). Hanani (2009) in the research, aiming to investigate the influence of English on Arabic, states that in general students prefer to speak English, while their parents want them to be bilingual (p.36).
Moreover, during our research we have found out that education also plays an important role in a choice of the language.
Recommendations
Taking into account the facts mentioned above, it is possible to conclude that now there is a tendency for bilingualism in the UAE. In spite of the wide spread of English, people of the older generation prefer to speak Arabic. It should be taken into consideration by manufacturing companies. The translations of trademarks of these companies should be close to the original.
Reference List
Hanani, F. (2009). Impact of English on Arabs use of Arabic in UAE. A Thesis in teaching English to speakers of other languages. American University of Sharjah, 1-94. Web.
Noursi, O. (2013). Attitude towards Learning English: The case of the UAE Technological High School. Institute of Applied Technology, 4(1), 21-30. Web.
Randall, M., & Samimi , M. (2010). The status of English in Dubai. Cambridge University Press, 26(1), 43-50. Web.