DOHA: There is concern in the Qatari and other Arab communities here as a corrupt form of Arabic spoken by numerically preponderant Asian workers is gaining popularity.
Known as Indian Arabic, the broken form of the language is spoken not only by Indians, but also by other Asians like Pakistani, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Filipino and Bangladeshi expatriates.
Even Qatari and other Arab nationals are forced to use this corrupt form of Arabic when dealing with Asian maids, domestic drivers, sales personnel mainly working in small shops, garages, haircutting salons and laundries.
What is, however, causing concern is the fact that since maids have tremendous influence over children in Qatari and other Arab households, the toddlers quickly learn to speak 'Indian Arabic'.
Here are some examples of the Arabic Asians speak. To say "I want to talk to you," an Asian would say Ana Inta Kalam instead of Ana Kalamtak, which is correct Arabic.
Inta laish savi jinjal? (why are you quarrelling?) is another example of wrong Arabic the Asians speak. The correct Arabic is Inta le amil mushkila?"
A talkative person is told by Asians he is Girgir Wajid while the correct Arabic is Inta kalamak kateer (you talk too much).
Taking a bus ride one can hear a Filipino driver saying Jaldi Jaldi (quickly) instead of Sura'a, which is the correct Arabic word. Jaldi Jaldi, for instance, is a Hindustani (a mix of Urdu and Hindi or colloquial Urdu or Hindi) phrase.
Qatari nationals and other Arabs say that to interact with Asian workers, they have to use the form of Arabic they speak and not the proper Arabic. And since Asians dominate due to their sheer numbers, it is difficult for locals or other Arabs to ignore them.
Be it their own homes, marketplace, government offices, private companies, small shops and showrooms or garages and factories in the Industrial Area, one has to use Indian Arabic to communicate with the Asian workers.
Asian accused facing trials on different charges in the Qatari courts also use this broken form of Arabic.
According to Naji Hani Dalghan, an Arabic language expert, there is no harm in using what is known as Indian Arabic since the purpose is to effectively communicate.
"The most important thing about a language is that it is a means of communication," he says. Muslims from Asian countries, for instance, know classical Arabic since they had access to religious education in their formative years, argues Dalghan.
English being an international language is commonly spoken here. Dalghan says that since Urdu has many Arabic words, it was spoken and understood by GCC people. "The older generation in the region could easily understand and speak this language, but things are changing now."
About Indian Arabic, he says that it is a mix of Urdu, Hindi, English and other Asian languages.
But Suad Al Salem, an artiste, is pained by the growing influence of Indian Arabic over Qatari children and suggests that parents should give more time to their children and employ Arabs as domestic workers.
"It pains me when I see a Qatari child speaking the corrupt form of Arabic rather than proper Arabic, which is his mother tongue," she says.
An Arab expatriate who arrived here recently to take up a job said he was shocked to hear a parlance he had never been exposed to before. Being in an Arab country, he expected people would be speaking proper Arabic, he said.
© The Peninsula 2007
