Diversity under threat

By Samir Sobhi

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English is already one of the most widely spoken languages on the planet. And as computer and Internet use spreads, and English gradually conquers the planet continent by continent, one wonders what will happen to hundreds of other languages.

Will Africa's native languages become nothing more than local dialects, spoken but never written. Or will countries follow the lead of Attaturk, who demanded Turkish be written in Latin script?

What happens when one language overtakes another? Arabic did just this to the Coptic language, reducing the Ancient Egyptian tongue to a liturgical language.

Every language contains a unique consciousness, a sensibility that appears in its poetry, plays, proverbs and philosophy. Language is the repository of true culture. So will our brave new age lead to an improvement in our language, or in our thinking? Will an improvement in our thinking lead to an improvement in our language?

What are we to do in Egypt, with our wealth of Arabic manuscripts? Egypt possesses a vast number, scattered in many libraries and other, less appropriate, places. Astonishingly, some of them are housed in youth centres, sports clubs and even the Nasr Company for manufacturing electrical transformers and the Ministry of Transport's public archives. How can we gather this rich and important heritage and make it available on the Internet for those seeking such a resource?

Man has always been confused and argumentative. So will the computer and satellite unite the planet, or drive it apart?

Some say we have been brought together in an imaginary village where we can follow every crisis and development as it happens. Others claim that family unity is being destroyed, that it is easier to find out what is happening to world leaders and pop stars than it is to know what is happening to siblings and loved ones.

We must ask ourselves a simple question. What has the satellite ever done to us? It is a question for every one, no matter what language they speak, or where they call home.

This week's Soapbox speaker is deputy editor-in- chief of Al-Ahram.