Suzanne Talhouk: Don't kill your language
Suzanne Talhouk: 邊個話講阿拉伯話唔型㗎?
Suzanne Talhouk is an advocate for the Arabic language as a tool of power, pride and unity. Full bio
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but I wanted to ask you,
on the tag in Arabic?
有冇人係用阿拉伯文寫塊名牌㗎?
All right, no problem.
好啦,唔緊要
ordering food.
thinking that he misheard.
"The menu (Arabic), please."
"Don't you know what they call it?"
「乜你唔知呢份嘢叫咩名㗎咩?」
or "menu" (French)."
份嘢叫做(英文)『餐牌』,
said the waiter.
「嚟嚟嚟,呢張枱你搞掂佢!」
as if he was saying to himself,
好似同緊自己講:
我都唔會睺佢!」
I wouldn't look at her!"
of saying "menu" in Arabic?
有乜咁大件事呢?
judge a girl as being backward
令一個黎巴嫩嘅後生仔覺得
my own language in my own country?
講自己母語嘅權利都被剝奪?
there are many people like me,
where they involuntarily give up
that has happened to them in the past,
自己係有文化、有地位
思想、知識同記憶呢?
we have of the war!
就成為我哋最大嘅情感寄託!
I learned in Arabic, just to conform?
我母語賜畀我嘅所有嘢?
I tried to understand him.
我都想去理解呢個侍應
with the same cruelty that he judged me.
但我唔想掉轉頭批判返佢
doesn't satisfy today's needs.
an advanced research project,
we use at the airport.
啲人肯定會搜我哋身都似
they'd strip us of our clothes.
我哋好應該反思一下
We could all ask this question!
Where are we to do so?
但邊度先用得到呢?
that we ought to think about.
of other languages
首先要掌握好母語
for creative expression in other languages.
he used Arabic.
in the village
smelling a specific smell,
he had enough baggage.
佢彈藥充足
you smell the same smell,
writing in English,
From a village on Mount Lebanon.
no one can argue with.
that if you want to kill a nation,
要一個國家滅亡
that developed societies are aware of.
all these nations are aware of this.
呢啲國家都深明呢個道理
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,
as they were climbing the ladder,
from Turkey or elsewhere
most of the time.
they had to protect their language.
佢哋需要捍衞自己嘅語言
independence (Arabic),"
「(英語)自由、尊嚴、獨立」
始終都係冇共鳴
just words coming out of our mouths.
in our lives,
that is linked to our emotions.
"Freedom, sovereignty, independence,"
in their own mind,
勾起某種情感
in a specific historical period.
or three words or letters put together.
that relates to how we think,
and how others see us.
其他人又點睇我哋
whether this guy understands or not?
明唔明白一樣嘢、聰唔聰明?
independence (English),"
the freedom (English) slogan?"
(英語)自由標語嘅時代嗎?」
and stop talking in vain.
remind us of a specific thing.
who's married to a French man.
嫁畀咗一個法國人
"Everything is fine,
asking and trying to translate
阿拉伯文裡面『toqborni』嘅意思。」
'toqborni' for him."
"toqborni,"
同佢講咗「toqborni」
trying to explain it to him.
"How could anyone be this cruel?
講個字嘅解釋呢?
that word to her husband,
his way of thinking is different.
"He listens to Fairuz with me,
I tried to translate for him
黎巴嫩歌手 Fairuz 啲歌。
I listen to Fairuz."
我聽 Fairuz 嗰陣嘅感覺。」
this for him:
and stole you --"
偷你嘅 ——」
I returned my hands and left you."
我收返隻手,離開你」
the Arabic language?
of the civil society,
the Arabic language.
"Why do you bother?
「你點解要攞苦嚟辛呢?
and go have fun."
輕鬆過下咪算囉。」
launched a slogan that says,
but you reply from the West."
你從西方回答我。」
"No! We do not accept this or that."
「唔得!我哋唔認同呢樣嗰樣。」
that way, we wouldn't be understood.
咁樣盞更加冇人明白我哋
I hate the Arabic language.
我會憎咗呢個語言
our dreams, aspirations and day-to-day life.
and thinks like we do.
but you reply from the West"
你從西方回答我」
yet creative and persuasive.
we launched another campaign
但就好有創意同說服力
我哋喺地下堆砌一啲字母出嚟
by black and yellow tape
written on it.
Seriously, don't kill your language.
真係唔好毀滅你嘅語言
we'd have to find an identity.
of being modern and civilized.
of guys and girls wearing the Arabic letter.
身穿阿拉伯字母嘅相
「哈!你用咗英文嘅字!」
"Ha! You used an English word!"
"No! I adopt the word 'cool.'"
融會落去阿拉伯文。」
but give me a word that's nicer
更好、更切合現實嘅詞語
"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,
唔能夠造到支火箭等等
is a creative project.
都係一個創意嘅項目
就係我哋要遵循嘅道路
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.
邊個宜家喺度發緊推特貼文?
even though my time has finished,
雖然我演講嘅時間好快完
or Chinese.
法文,定係中文
with Latin characters mixed with numbers!
夾雜拉丁字母同數字!
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.
保護阿拉伯語有幾重要
「(阿拉伯語)呢個係你爸爸,囡囡。」
"This is your father, honey (Arabic)."
"This is your dad, honey (English)."
「(英語)呢個係你爸爸,囡囡。」
I promise my daughter Noor,
"Thanks (Arabic),"
「你應該講『多謝你,媽咪』」
and hope no one has heard her.
唔好再為我哋嘅文化而自卑!
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