Teaching (Computer) Sciences in Arabic

1. Teaching (Computer) Sciences in Arabic Ali Mili, Algiers, December 28, 2002

2. OUTLINE • The Stakes • The Current State • Analogies/ Lessons • Premises of a Remedial Approach • A Multi Faceted Approach • Concrete Steps • Conclusion: The Long Term

3. The Stakes • Arabic on the brink of Oblivion/ Irrelevance/ Extinction. • We are the Last Generation that has an Opportunity to save it. • Arabic as a Tool for Unity/ Cohesion/ Synergy. • Arabic as a Tool for Advancing a Common Scientific Agenda. • Future Victories are Contingent on Science.

4. The Current State • Arabic has evolved very little since fifteenth Century. • Has not kept up pace with recent technological/ societal evolution. • Has borrowed haphazardly from other languages, in a way that compromises its integrity. • Used mostly for Ceremonial functions.

5. The Current State: Human Resources • Arab Scientists and Engineers are working in other languages (both within and outside Arab countries), and contributing to the legacy/ tradition of other languages. • Many Arab scientists among the top experts in their fields. • Lack of coordination/ sense of common mission: little gain for the Arab nation/ the Arabic language.

6. The Current State: University Teaching • Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt. • Heroic Efforts. • Local initiatives, little/no provision for long term integration. • Perceived as a Handicap, hence avoided by mainstream. • Little/No infrastructural Support (books, educational materials, projects, solutions).

7. The Current State: Administration • Politically mandated efforts to introduce Arabic. • Stream starts at the administrative side, attempts to encompass technical aspects. • Usually fails as it reaches technical fields. • Reinforces the perception of Arabic as inadequate.

8. The Current State: Practice of Science/Technology/Engineering • Scientists/ Engineers/ Technicians practice in foreign languages (colonial past). • Arabic terms/ expressions/ idioms are introduced by linguists/ journalists/ administrators, who do not necessarily have a feel for the concepts. • Dictionaries/ Thesauri are not distributed widely; are not available on the web. • Perceived as an obstacle to communication rather than a tool for expression/discovery. • Used to address non-technical audiences rather than to communicate between technical audiences.

9. Analogies, Lessons • Analyze How EnglishEvolves. • Analyze How other Nations (with/ without technological gap) deal with language. • Analyze How other Nations (with/ without language policy) deal with language. • Analyze How other Nations (with large/ small populations) deal with language. • Analyze How other Nations (with different character sets than English) deal with Language. • Study endangered languages.

10. Analogies, Lessons: English • A Worldwide process of language creation/ evolution, covering all areas of science, technology, art, culture, literature. • Contributors come from diverse backgrounds, bring rich blend of perspectives. • Totally bottom up; no language policy; no official body (Academie) to grant blessing. • Darwinian processes govern the survival or extinction of terms. • English as a tool for building common human legacy.

11. Analogies, Lessons: Technological Gap Russia/ Germany/ Japan/ France • Teaching/ Research in national language. • Using English References. • Research production in national language and English, though increasingly in latter. • Excellence in some areas of research/ technology, creating a body of knowledge encoded primarily in their language.

12. Analogies, Lessons: Language Bodies Germany versus France/ Quebec: • Experience shows futility/ inefficiency/ insufficiency of legislating language. • Language bodies follow practice rather than to lead it. • Language’s health depends on willingness of people to use it and on influential figures to evolve it. • What makes greatest difference: convenience to the user. • The important question is whether we have something important to say; it is not what language we use to say it.

13. Analogies, Lessons: Nation Size Holland versus China • Holland: small country, close to England; unique language, very close to English; at the heart of a unifying Europe. • China: more than a billion people, half a world away; totally different language, different character set, different thought processes. Yet, both preserve their language as a medium for teaching and research. What is our excuse?

14. Analogies, Lessons: Different Characters Russia • Scientific Texts written in Russian. • Many Symbols borrowed from English/ Latin/ Greek alphabet. • Russian research very strong in several areas. • Russian texts translated to other languages.

15. Premises of a Remedial Approach • Language as a Tool of Discovery. Rather than a representation medium. • Language development as a scholarly activity. Conveying novel ideas through analogies, figures of speech. • Language and Thought. Language shapes thought. Thinking and Speaking at once. • Language as a Strength, rather than a Burden. Contributing to the human legacy.

16. Premises of a Remedial Approach • Language reflects needs/ aspirations of a Nation. Inuit: 300 names for frozen water. French: 360 names for cheese. Poverty of Arabic is not intrinsic; reflects limited use. • Language Depends on Usage. Creating a tradition of usage. Experience. • Language is a Collective Responsibility. Experts propose, Linguists monitor, Users dispose/ select/ forget.

17. Premises of a Remedial Approach • Arabization starts at the technical level. • Arabization starts at the university level. • Terminology is not the issue. Tradition is. • Multiplicity of terms is not an issue. Using it as an alibi is. • No creativity without chaos. • Renounce romantic ideas about how Arabic is/ should be; we cannot evolve it and preserve it at once. • We can evolve it in ways that serve us while preserving its unique character/ its structural integrity.

18. A Multi Faceted Approach Three Partners: • Governmental bodies: Infrastructural Support. Archival/ Recording/ Monitoring Functions. Encourage/ Support/ Record. • Professional Societies: Coordination Between Key Players. Top Down coordinative Function. • Researchers/ Educators: Expand/ Evolve/ Use. Bottom Up Creative Function. Chaos is good.

19. Concrete Steps: Governmental Bodies • Provide Language Support: Fully integrated, fully compatible, fully operational tools for email, web hosting, in Arabic. Available on www. • Provide Educational Resources: Web based resources to support teaching (research?). Lecture notes, exercises, projects. • Act as Repository of Technical Information. Online dictionaries, online thesauri, surveys. • Promote the Introduction of Arabic at the University level. Works down through the educational ladder. • Achieving goals by contracting out to private sector.

20. Concrete Steps:Professional Organizations • Provides Forum of Debate. • Encourages/ Coordinates Efforts to Standardize material, share Resources. • Manages Publications in Arabic. • Organizes Conferences/ Workshops in Arabic. • Create/ manage special interest groups. • www.aiccsa.org/csea03.html. July 2003, Tunis, Tunisia.

21. Concrete Steps: Researchers/ Educators The Foot Soldiers of this effort. The creative partners. Creating a tradition. • Teach in Arabic. • Do Research and publication in Arabic. • Think in Arabic. • Linguists: provide framework. Domain experts: dispose. Users: select. • Currently: efforts to start a book series in Arabic in CS; model for other fields.

22. Conclusion: The Long Term • It is not too late, but we do not have much time either. • Global effort, involving many partners, contributing different components. • Strategic importance for the Arab nation, but also benefits for mankind, by bringing a unique perspective.