Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has introduced an innovative index designed to evaluate the community's engagement with the Arabic language. This initiative aligns with the UAE's proclamation of 2025 as the 'Year of the Community.'
According to Bahrain News Agency, the index employs a statistical model to monitor the development of individuals' connections to Arabic across personal, familial, and institutional dimensions. It gathers empirical data on language use in various aspects such as reading, writing, speaking, and digital communication, with a particular emphasis on its use within families, especially involving children.
The purpose of the index is to assess community interaction with the Arabic language and to support its promotion. It also examines institutional backing through ALC initiatives that include book publishing, creative content development, talent nurturing, skill-building, literary festivals, and awards.
Dr. Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC, highlighted that the index embodies the leadership's vision to foster a cohesive society and strengthen national and cultural identity. He emphasized that since its inception, the Centre has been committed to connecting society to the Arabic language across creative, knowledge-based, and cultural fields, engaging both Arabic speakers and non-speakers.
The index will be applied to residents of Abu Dhabi across different demographic segments, resulting in values that indicate the level of engagement, from full connection to complete detachment. This aims to guide policy and coordinate future initiatives.
The launch of this new index coincided with the announcement of the 2025 results of the Arabic Language Perception Index, which has been assessing public sentiment since 2021 regarding Arabic in comparison with English. The survey includes more than 6,000 individuals aged 15 and above.
The findings revealed that Arabic scored highest in areas of creativity, such as language aesthetics and content, and culture, particularly heritage. In contrast, English led in the knowledge category, especially in scientific content.
Dr. bin Tamim remarked that while speakers of each language believe in the prominence of their own, understanding how perceptions evolve over time necessitates more profound social and linguistic study. He added that the indicators will bolster efforts to enhance Arabic's role as a language of science, culture, and creativity, and to expand its presence in digital content and scientific research.