Don't kill your language
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0:01 - 0:03Good morning!
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0:03 - 0:06Are you awake?
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0:07 - 0:09They took my name tag,
but I wanted to ask you, -
0:09 - 0:12did anyone here write their name
on the tag in Arabic? -
0:12 - 0:17Anyone! No one?
All right, no problem. -
0:18 - 0:21Once upon a time, not long ago,
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0:22 - 0:26I was sitting in a restaurant with my friend,
ordering food. -
0:26 - 0:30So I looked at the waiter and said,
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0:30 - 0:33"Do you have a menu (Arabic)?"
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0:34 - 0:37He looked at me strangely,
thinking that he misheard. -
0:38 - 0:40He said, "Sorry? (English)."
-
0:40 - 0:44I said,
"The menu (Arabic), please." -
0:44 - 0:47He replied,
"Don't you know what they call it?" -
0:48 - 0:49"I do."
-
0:49 - 0:53He said, "No! It's called "menu" (English),
or "menu" (French)." -
0:53 - 0:55Is the French pronunciation correct?
-
0:55 - 0:57"Come, come, take care of this one!"
said the waiter. -
0:57 - 1:01He was disgusted when talking to me,
as if he was saying to himself, -
1:01 - 1:05"If this was the last girl on Earth,
I wouldn't look at her!" -
1:05 - 1:08What's the meaning
of saying "menu" in Arabic? -
1:08 - 1:16Two words made a Lebanese young man
judge a girl as being backward -
1:16 - 1:18and ignorant.
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1:19 - 1:24How could she speak that way?
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1:24 - 1:27At that moment, I started thinking.
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1:27 - 1:28It made me mad.
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1:28 - 1:29It definitely hurts!
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1:29 - 1:32I'm denied the right to speak
my own language in my own country? -
1:32 - 1:34Where could this happen?
-
1:34 - 1:38How did we get here?
-
1:38 - 1:42Well, while we are here,
there are many people like me, -
1:42 - 1:45who would reach a stage in their lives,
where they involuntarily give up -
1:45 - 1:47everything
that has happened to them in the past, -
1:47 - 1:50just so they can say that they're modern
-
1:50 - 1:52and civilized.
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1:52 - 1:55Should I forget all my culture, thoughts,
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1:55 - 1:59intellect and all my memories?
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2:00 - 2:03Childhood stories might be the best memories
we have of the war! -
2:03 - 2:08Should I forget everything
I learned in Arabic, just to conform? -
2:08 - 2:12To be one of them?
-
2:12 - 2:14Where's the logic in that?
-
2:14 - 2:18Despite all that,
I tried to understand him. -
2:18 - 2:24I didn't want to judge him
with the same cruelty that he judged me. -
2:24 - 2:28The Arabic language
doesn't satisfy today's needs. -
2:28 - 2:30It's not a language for science,
-
2:30 - 2:31research,
-
2:31 - 2:33a language we're used to in universities,
-
2:33 - 2:35a language we use in the workplace,
-
2:36 - 2:42a language we rely on if we were to perform
an advanced research project, -
2:42 - 2:45and it definitely isn't a language
we use at the airport. -
2:45 - 2:47If we did so,
they'd strip us of our clothes. -
2:49 - 2:52Where can I use it, then?
We could all ask this question! -
2:52 - 2:56So, you want us to use Arabic.
Where are we to do so? -
2:57 - 2:59This is one reality.
-
2:59 - 3:04But we have another more important reality
that we ought to think about. -
3:05 - 3:08Arabic is the mother tongue.
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3:08 - 3:14Research says that mastery
of other languages -
3:14 - 3:17demands mastery of the mother tongue.
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3:18 - 3:24Mastery of the mother tongue is a prerequisite
for creative expression in other languages. -
3:25 - 3:26How?
-
3:26 - 3:28Gibran Khalil Gibran,
-
3:28 - 3:32when he first started writing,
he used Arabic. -
3:33 - 3:39All his ideas, imagination and philosophy
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3:39 - 3:43were inspired by this little boy
in the village -
3:43 - 3:45where he grew up,
smelling a specific smell, -
3:45 - 3:46hearing a specific voice,
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3:46 - 3:48and thinking a specific thought.
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3:48 - 3:53So, when he started writing in English,
he had enough baggage. -
3:53 - 3:55Even when he wrote in English,
-
3:55 - 3:59when you read his writings in English,
you smell the same smell, -
3:59 - 4:01sense the same feeling.
-
4:01 - 4:05You can imagine that that's him
writing in English, -
4:05 - 4:10the same boy who came from the mountain.
From a village on Mount Lebanon. -
4:11 - 4:17So, this is an example
no one can argue with. -
4:17 - 4:22Second, it's often said
that if you want to kill a nation, -
4:22 - 4:25the only way to kill a nation,
-
4:25 - 4:26is to kill its language.
-
4:27 - 4:32This is a reality
that developed societies are aware of. -
4:32 - 4:39The Germans, French, Japanese and Chinese,
all these nations are aware of this. -
4:39 - 4:43That's why they legislate
to protect their language. -
4:43 - 4:45They make it sacred.
-
4:45 - 4:51That's why they use it in production,
they pay a lot of money to develop it. -
4:51 - 4:54Do we know better than them?
-
4:54 - 4:55All right,
-
4:55 - 4:57we aren't from the developed world,
-
4:57 - 4:59this advanced thinking
hasn't reached us yet, -
4:59 - 5:02and we would like to catch up
with the civilized world. -
5:03 - 5:07Countries that were once like us,
but decided to strive for development, -
5:08 - 5:09do research,
-
5:09 - 5:11and catch up with those countries,
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5:11 - 5:14such as Turkey, Malaysia and others,
-
5:14 - 5:18they carried their language with them
as they were climbing the ladder, -
5:18 - 5:21protected it like a diamond.
-
5:21 - 5:23They kept it close to them.
-
5:23 - 5:27Because if you get any product
from Turkey or elsewhere -
5:27 - 5:29and it's not labeled in Turkish,
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5:30 - 5:32then it isn't a local product.
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5:32 - 5:35You wouldn't believe it's a local product.
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5:35 - 5:38They'd go back to being consumers,
-
5:38 - 5:43clueless consumers, like we are
most of the time. -
5:43 - 5:49So, in order for them to innovate and produce,
they had to protect their language. -
5:51 - 5:56If I say, "Freedom, sovereignty,
independence (Arabic)," -
5:56 - 5:59what does this remind you of?
-
6:01 - 6:02It doesn't ring a bell, does it?
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6:03 - 6:07Regardless of the who, how and why.
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6:08 - 6:14Language isn't just for conversing,
just words coming out of our mouths. -
6:14 - 6:18Language represents specific stages
in our lives, -
6:19 - 6:24and terminology
that is linked to our emotions. -
6:24 - 6:26So when we say,
"Freedom, sovereignty, independence," -
6:26 - 6:30each one of you draws a specific image
in their own mind, -
6:30 - 6:32there are specific feelings
-
6:32 - 6:35of a specific day
in a specific historical period. -
6:35 - 6:38Language isn't one, two
or three words or letters put together. -
6:39 - 6:41It's an idea inside
that relates to how we think, -
6:41 - 6:47and how we see each other
and how others see us. -
6:47 - 6:49What is our intellect?
-
6:49 - 6:51How do you say
whether this guy understands or not? -
6:52 - 6:59So, if I say, "Freedom, sovereignty,
independence (English)," -
7:00 - 7:02or if your son came up to you and said,
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7:02 - 7:07"Dad, have you lived through the period of
the freedom (English) slogan?" -
7:07 - 7:09How would you feel?
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7:10 - 7:13If you don't see a problem,
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7:14 - 7:17then I'd better leave,
and stop talking in vain. -
7:17 - 7:23The idea is that these expressions
remind us of a specific thing. -
7:23 - 7:29I have a francophone friend
who's married to a French man. -
7:29 - 7:32I asked her once how things were going.
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7:32 - 7:34She said,
"Everything is fine, -
7:34 - 7:38but once, I spent a whole night
asking and trying to translate -
7:38 - 7:41the meaning of the word
'toqborni' for him." -
7:41 - 7:42(Laughter)
-
7:42 - 7:45(Applause)
-
7:50 - 7:53The poor woman had mistakenly told him
"toqborni," -
7:53 - 7:56and then spent the whole night
trying to explain it to him. -
7:56 - 8:00He was puzzled by the thought:
"How could anyone be this cruel? -
8:00 - 8:02Does she want to commit suicide?
-
8:02 - 8:05'Bury me?' (English)"
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8:05 - 8:08This is one of the few examples.
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8:08 - 8:11It made us feel that she's unable to tell
that word to her husband, -
8:11 - 8:13since he won't understand,
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8:13 - 8:16and he's right not to;
his way of thinking is different. -
8:17 - 8:20She said to me,
"He listens to Fairuz with me, -
8:20 - 8:25and one night,
I tried to translate for him -
8:25 - 8:28so he can feel what I feel when
I listen to Fairuz." -
8:28 - 8:30The poor woman tried to translate
this for him: -
8:31 - 8:35"From them I extended my hands
and stole you --" -
8:35 - 8:36(Laughter)
-
8:36 - 8:37And here's the pickle:
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8:37 - 8:42"And because you belong to them,
I returned my hands and left you." -
8:42 - 8:43(Laughter)
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8:43 - 8:44Translate that for me.
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8:44 - 8:52(Applause)
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8:52 - 8:56So, what have we done to protect
the Arabic language? -
8:56 - 8:59We turned this into a concern
of the civil society, -
8:59 - 9:02and we launched a campaign to preserve
the Arabic language. -
9:02 - 9:06Even though many people told me,
"Why do you bother? -
9:06 - 9:09Forget about this headache
and go have fun." -
9:09 - 9:10No problem!
-
9:10 - 9:14The campaign to preserve Arabic
launched a slogan that says, -
9:14 - 9:16"I talk to you from the East,
but you reply from the West." -
9:17 - 9:24We didn't say,
"No! We do not accept this or that." -
9:24 - 9:29We didn't adopt this style because
that way, we wouldn't be understood. -
9:29 - 9:33And when someone talks to me that way,
I hate the Arabic language. -
9:33 - 9:34We say--
-
9:34 - 9:37(Applause)
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9:37 - 9:40We want to change our reality,
-
9:40 - 9:44and be convinced in a way that reflects
our dreams, aspirations and day-to-day life. -
9:45 - 9:50In a way that dresses like us
and thinks like we do. -
9:50 - 9:53So, "I talk to you from the East,
but you reply from the West" -
9:53 - 9:54has hit the spot.
-
9:54 - 9:58Something very easy,
yet creative and persuasive. -
9:59 - 10:02After that,
we launched another campaign -
10:02 - 10:06with scenes of letters on the ground.
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10:06 - 10:08You've seen an example of it outside,
-
10:08 - 10:13a scene of a letter surrounded
by black and yellow tape -
10:13 - 10:16with "Don't kill your language!"
written on it. -
10:16 - 10:19Why?
Seriously, don't kill your language. -
10:19 - 10:22We really shouldn't kill our language.
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10:22 - 10:27If we were to kill the language,
we'd have to find an identity. -
10:27 - 10:29We'd have to find an existence.
-
10:29 - 10:32We'd go back to the beginning.
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10:32 - 10:38This is beyond just missing our chance
of being modern and civilized. -
10:39 - 10:45After that we released photos
of guys and girls wearing the Arabic letter. -
10:46 - 10:48Photos of "cool" guys and girls.
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10:48 - 10:50We are very cool!
-
10:51 - 10:55And to whoever might say,
"Ha! You used an English word!" -
10:55 - 10:59I say,
"No! I adopt the word 'cool.'" -
10:59 - 11:03Let them object however they want,
but give me a word that's nicer -
11:03 - 11:06and matches the reality better.
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11:06 - 11:08I will keep on saying "Internet"
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11:08 - 11:10I wouldn't say:
"I'm going to the world wide web" -
11:10 - 11:12(Laughs)
-
11:12 - 11:15Because it doesn't fit!
We shouldn't kid ourselves. -
11:16 - 11:19But to reach this point,
we all have to be convinced -
11:20 - 11:22that we shouldn't allow anyone
who is bigger -
11:22 - 11:25or thinks they have any authority over us
when it comes to language, -
11:25 - 11:31to control us or make us think and feel
what they want. -
11:32 - 11:35Creativity is the idea.
-
11:36 - 11:38So, if we can't reach space
or build a rocket and so on, -
11:38 - 11:40we can be creative.
-
11:40 - 11:44At this moment, every one of you
is a creative project. -
11:44 - 11:46Creativity in your mother tongue
is the path. -
11:47 - 11:50Let's start from this moment.
-
11:51 - 11:53Let's write a novel
or produce a short film. -
11:53 - 11:56A single novel could make us global again.
-
11:56 - 12:00It could bring the Arabic language
back to being number one. -
12:00 - 12:04So, it's not true that there's no solution;
there is a solution! -
12:04 - 12:08But we have to know that, and be convinced
that a solution exists, -
12:08 - 12:11that we have a duty
to be part of that solution. -
12:12 - 12:15In conclusion, what can you do today?
-
12:15 - 12:18Now, tweets, who's tweeting?
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12:20 - 12:25Please, I beg of you,
even though my time has finished, -
12:25 - 12:30either Arabic, English, French
or Chinese. -
12:31 - 12:36But don't write Arabic
with Latin characters mixed with numbers! -
12:36 - 12:40(Applause)
-
12:40 - 12:44It's a disaster!
That's not a language. -
12:44 - 12:47You'd be entering a virtual world
with a virtual language. -
12:48 - 12:50It's not easy to come back
from such a place and rise. -
12:51 - 12:53That's the first thing we can do.
-
12:53 - 12:55Second, there are many other things
that we can do. -
12:55 - 12:58We're not here today to convince
each other. -
12:58 - 13:01We're here to bring attention
to the necessity of preserving this language. -
13:01 - 13:04Now I will tell you a secret.
-
13:05 - 13:10A baby first identifies its father
-
13:10 - 13:13through language.
-
13:13 - 13:18When my daughter is born, I'll tell her,
"This is your father, honey (Arabic)." -
13:18 - 13:22I wouldn't say,
"This is your dad, honey (English)." -
13:23 - 13:26And in the supermarket,
I promise my daughter Noor, -
13:26 - 13:28that if she says to me,
"Thanks (Arabic)," -
13:28 - 13:33I won't say, "Dis, 'Merci, Maman,'"
and hope no one has heard her. -
13:33 - 13:36(Applause)
-
13:44 - 13:49Let's get rid of this cultural cringe.
-
13:49 - 13:52(Applause)
- Title:
- Don't kill your language
- Speaker:
- Suzanne Talhouk
- Description:
-
In this talk, Suzanne Talhouk calls for initiatives to revive the Arabic language by means of modernizing it and using it as a means of creative expression. Her work focuses on reclaiming the identity of the Arabic-speaking world and getting rid of its inferiority complex.
- Video Language:
- Arabic
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 14:12
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for من قال بأن الحديث بالعربية ينزع عنا صفة "الكوول" | ||
Cynthia Betubiza edited English subtitles for من قال بأن الحديث بالعربية ينزع عنا صفة "الكوول" | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for من قال بأن الحديث بالعربية ينزع عنا صفة "الكوول" | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for من قال بأن الحديث بالعربية ينزع عنا صفة "الكوول" | ||
Krystian Aparta approved English subtitles for من قال بأن الحديث بالعربية ينزع عنا صفة "الكوول" | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for من قال بأن الحديث بالعربية ينزع عنا صفة "الكوول" | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for من قال بأن الحديث بالعربية ينزع عنا صفة "الكوول" | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for من قال بأن الحديث بالعربية ينزع عنا صفة "الكوول" |
Jane Roffe
8:36 pickle? what do you mean?
I have made quite a lot of changes to the English to make it more natural, and sometimes to make it make sense. But I don't understand Arabic at all so please could the translator now review it again to make sure I have not strayed from the meaning?