Illustration by Jaimee Lee Haddad/L'Orient Today
Nearly half of the more than 7,000 languages spoken on this planet are endangered. Arabic is not one of them — unless, perhaps, you’re in Canada. Decades of immigration show that those who leave home for the colossal sea-to-sea country might be the last in their lineage to speak their mother tongue, and Arabic is no exception.But is it possible the tides are turning? There seems to be a renewed enthusiasm among the diaspora. Lebanese-Canadians are swimming against the current, actively protecting Arabic in a country that is at least two thousand years younger than their mother tongue.Marwan and Pascale Abi Najem are raising 5-year-old Carl and 4-year-old Julia almost fully in Arabic. “I want to be able to feel at ease with my kids,” Marwan says emphatically over the phone from Montreal. “I want to be able to speak with them in...
Nearly half of the more than 7,000 languages spoken on this planet are endangered. Arabic is not one of them — unless, perhaps, you’re in Canada. Decades of immigration show that those who leave home for the colossal sea-to-sea country might be the last in their lineage to speak their mother tongue, and Arabic is no exception.But is it possible the tides are turning? There seems to be a renewed enthusiasm among the diaspora. Lebanese-Canadians are swimming against the current, actively protecting Arabic in a country that is at least two thousand years younger than their mother tongue.Marwan and Pascale Abi Najem are raising 5-year-old Carl and 4-year-old Julia almost fully in Arabic. “I want to be able to feel at ease with my kids,” Marwan says emphatically over the phone from Montreal. “I want to be able to speak with them...
