Open AccessAssociate professor of applied linguistics Applied Linguistics Dept., Arabic Linguistics Inst., King Saud University
Author(s) -
د. محمود بن عبدالله المحمود د. محمود بن عبدالله المحمود
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
maǧalaẗ ǧameʼaẗ al-malīk abdul aziz. al-adab wa al-uʼlum al-īnsaniaẗ
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1319-0989
DOI - 10.4197/art.28-13.7
Subject(s) - clarity , language policy , applied linguistics , linguistics , centrality , ideology , arabic , political science , quantitative linguistics , psychology , sociology , politics , computer science , law , philosophy , biochemistry , chemistry , mathematics , combinatorics
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the concern of the Arabic language is reflected in the Saudi language policy, which is displayed in all aspects of decisions, programs, projects and public life. The Kingdom’s development process has facilitated significant improvements at all levels, which enhances the need for continuous review of the language policy to ensure that it is achieving its goals. The current study seeks to discuss Saudi language policy in general, with a specific focus on Arabic language decisions, by utilizing an integrated approach, consisting of questionnaire and interview with a sample of administrative leaders in the Kingdom. The study seeks to discuss the ideology underlying Saudi language policy, as well as views on its nature, effectiveness, impact and implementation challenges; it also proposes a framework to build a Saudi language policy aimed at preserving previous achievements and achieving future aspirations. The study demonstrates the existence of social, cultural and linguistic ideologies that support the policies related to the Arabic language, such as considering it as a basic component of the political entity, a major part of the national identity; it also identifies concern for Arabic in the linguistic landscape, along with its centrality in the educational system, and the keenness of linguistic purification. The results also showed the participants’ agreement on the clarity of the decisions on language, as well as its comprehensiveness, need for development, and the extent to which individuals and institutions exhibit a weak awareness of it. Also, it reveals the existence of some problems that prevent its implementation, which are related to the decisions themselves, the procedural processes, or the administrative institutions. The study also provides suggested methodological recommendations to build the desired language policy, which proceeds from a research base and builds on current achievements.