Suzanne Talhouk: Don't kill your language
سوزان تلحوق: من قال بأن الحديث بالعربية ينزع عنا صفة "الكوول"
Suzanne Talhouk is an advocate for the Arabic language as a tool of power, pride and unity. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
but I wanted to ask you,
on the tag in Arabic?
All right, no problem.
حسنا، لا مشكلة.
ordering food.
thinking that he misheard.
لم يسمعني بشكل جيد
"The menu (Arabic), please."
"Don't you know what they call it?"
or "menu" (French)."
said the waiter.
as if he was saying to himself,
I wouldn't look at her!"
of saying "menu" in Arabic?
judge a girl as being backward
my own language in my own country?
there are many people like me,
where they involuntarily give up
يتخلون فيها رغما عنهم
that has happened to them in the past,
we have of the war!
I learned in Arabic, just to conform?
لمجرد أن أندمج؟
I tried to understand him.
with the same cruelty that he judged me.
doesn't satisfy today's needs.
an advanced research project,
we use at the airport.
سينزعون عنا جميع ملابسنا.
they'd strip us of our clothes.
We could all ask this question!
نستطيع جميعنا أن نسأل هذا السؤال!
Where are we to do so?
فأين لنا أن نستخدمها؟
that we ought to think about.
نريد أن نفكر به وننتبه له
of other languages
for creative expression in other languages.
he used Arabic.
in the village
smelling a specific smell,
he had enough baggage.
كان لديه مخزون فكري كبير.
you smell the same smell,
writing in English,
From a village on Mount Lebanon.
من قرية في جبل لبنان
no one can argue with.
that if you want to kill a nation,
that developed societies are aware of.
all these nations are aware of this.
جميع الشعوب تعرف هذه الحقيقة.
to protect their language.
they pay a lot of money to develop it.
hasn't reached us yet,
with the civilized world.
but decided to strive for development,
وقررت أن تسعى وراء التنمية
as they were climbing the ladder,
حافظوا عليها.
from Turkey or elsewhere
most of the time.
they had to protect their language.
أن يحافظوا على لغتهم.
independence (Arabic),"
just words coming out of our mouths.
in our lives,
that is linked to our emotions.
"Freedom, sovereignty, independence,"
in their own mind,
in a specific historical period.
or three words or letters put together.
that relates to how we think,
ونرى الآخر وكيف يرانا هو.
and how others see us.
whether this guy understands or not?
independence (English),"
the freedom (English) slogan?"
and stop talking in vain.
remind us of a specific thing.
who's married to a French man.
"Everything is fine,
asking and trying to translate
أسأله وأحاول أن أترجم له"
'toqborni' for him."
"toqborni,"
trying to explain it to him.
"أيعقل أن يكون أحد بهذه الوحشية؟"
"How could anyone be this cruel?
that word to her husband,
قول هذه الكلمة لزوجها لأنه لن يفهمها
his way of thinking is different.
"He listens to Fairuz with me,
I tried to translate for him
حاولت أن أترجم له
I listen to Fairuz."
this for him:
and stole you --"
"ولأنك لهم، أعدت يداي وتركتك."
I returned my hands and left you."
the Arabic language?
of the civil society,
the Arabic language.
"Why do you bother?
and go have fun."
launched a slogan that says,
but you reply from the West."
"No! We do not accept this or that."
that way, we wouldn't be understood.
I hate the Arabic language.
our dreams, aspirations and day-to-day life.
and thinks like we do.
but you reply from the West"
yet creative and persuasive.
we launched another campaign
by black and yellow tape
كتب عليه: لا تقتل لغتك.
written on it.
Seriously, don't kill your language.
بحقّ، لا تقتلوا لغتكم.
we'd have to find an identity.
of being modern and civilized.
على أن نكون متحضرين ومعاصرين
of guys and girls wearing the Arabic letter.
"Ha! You used an English word!"
ها! إنك قد استخدمت كلمة انجليزية!
"No! I adopt the word 'cool.'"
but give me a word that's nicer
فليعطوني كلمة أجمل منها.
لن أقول: أنا ذاهبة إلى الشبكة العنكبوتية.
"I'm going to the world wide web"
We shouldn't kid ourselves.
we all have to be convinced
who is bigger
when it comes to language,
what they want.
or build a rocket and so on,
وصنع صاروخ وغير ذلك.
is a creative project.
is the path.
or produce a short film.
back to being number one.
there is a solution!
that a solution exists,
to be part of that solution.
even though my time has finished,
or Chinese.
with Latin characters mixed with numbers!
That's not a language.
with a virtual language.
from such a place and rise.
that we can do.
each other.
to the necessity of preserving this language.
هي عن طريق اللغة.
سأقول لها: هذا هو والدك يا حياتي.
"This is your father, honey (Arabic)."
"This is your dad, honey (English)."
I promise my daughter Noor,
"Thanks (Arabic),"
وأنا أتمنى ألا يكون قد سمعها أحد!
and hope no one has heard her.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Suzanne Talhouk - Poet and language advocateSuzanne Talhouk is an advocate for the Arabic language as a tool of power, pride and unity.
Why you should listen
Raised in war-torn Lebanon, Suzanne Talhouk has a masters in physics and a passion for poetry; she has released two collections of poems. Dismayed by what she saw as a lack of power during the recent war in the Middle East, Talhouk saw the Arabic language as medium to unite and empower the Arab world. She launched Feil Amer, an organization that aims to preserve the Arabic language, and to reinstate the pride in young Arabs towards their language.
Suzanne Talhouk | Speaker | TED.com