Balancing Bilingualism

English language instruction is nothing new for the Middle East, especially in the fields of science and technology within higher education. As underfunded and highly bureaucratic Ministries of Education have failed to keep public schools up to par, upper classes have turned to private and English language education. And the overhaul of English both in the classroom and on the internet is creating distinctive a language-based class system within these societies.

The division is visible even driving along the roads, where advertisements for high-end furniture and clothing stores are in English, while those for basic consumer products remain in Arabic. (The bilingual adverts for McDonalds, Burger King and KFC cater to all audiences.)

The parallel societies are further exposed by dual ministerial and political websites offering both English and Arabic options; or in the case of 7iber.com, a youth blog in Jordan, a complete fusion of the two. Queen Rania’s YouTube page however, caters to English-speaking audiences and lacks any trace of Arabic.

Syria and Algeria have taken strong opposition to this trend, pushing Arabization policies to make knowledge available for those outside “colonial elite” circles. But for Syria in particular, this policy has resulted in a reliance on their Jordanian neighbor to translate English material into Arabic, which has been piecemeal at best.

In parts of the region, the situation has become one where many students have no first language at all; fluent in written English and colloquial spoken Arabic.