Summary of مسلسل عشنا و شفنا ـ قصيدة عربلمية ـ ياسر العظمة ـ صفاء سلطان ـ عادل شكري ـ Maraya 2004
This video features a theatrical and poetic performance centered on the Arabic language, its history, and the challenges it faces in the modern globalized world. The main plot revolves around a linguistic lecture and poem delivered by a character portrayed as Sami Al-Malsou’, a poet, writer, and linguistic researcher. The speaker humorously and insightfully explores the interaction between Arabic and other languages, highlighting how Arabic has influenced many foreign words and place names, often through historical conquests and cultural exchanges.
Highlights include witty anecdotes about the Arabic origins of words in English, Spanish, Japanese, and even car brand names like Nissan. The speaker jokes about the awkwardness of Arabizing foreign words, citing examples like the failed attempts to replace "sandwich" with complicated Arabic alternatives such as "shater" and "mashtoor," which elicited laughter. He also critiques the resistance to linguistic modernization and the infiltration of foreign words into everyday Arabic speech, poking fun at shop signs littered with English phrases and the reluctance to adopt new terms that fit contemporary realities.
A key reaction is the audience’s applause and laughter, reflecting engagement with the blend of cultural pride, humor, and critical reflection on language preservation versus evolution. The speaker calls for a balanced approach—embracing linguistic development and globalization while preserving Arabic’s rich heritage. He metaphorically suggests a "vaccination" for the language through grafting new useful terms onto its classical roots, encouraging openness to cultural exchange without losing identity.
The video concludes with a poetic recitation that underscores the emotional and cultural depth of the Arabic language, leaving the audience both entertained and thoughtful about the future of their linguistic heritage.
Personalities appearing in the video:
- Sami Al-Malsou’ (poet, writer, linguistic researcher - main speaker/performer)
- Yasser Al-Azmeh (likely involved, given the video title)
- Safaa Sultan (likely involved, given the video title)
- Adel Shukri (likely involved, given the video title)
Notable Quotes
— 01:58 — « It is truly astonishing that those in charge of our Arabic language neglect the importance of this beautiful language and do not incline toward reform and refinement in terms of development, modernization, change, and alteration. »
— 07:37 — « Why do we not introduce their expressions into our literature? Why, my brother? Let us open up to the world, meaning let us keep pace with the civilization of culture, benefiting from the convergence of languages. »
— 08:53 — « This Arabization is a decent process. He did not want me to go to the seller and tell him to give me “shater” and “mashtoor.” It was as if the Arabized words would remain confined to dictionaries, difficult to use in the time of the linguistic occupier. »
— 09:51 — « What I want to say is why this is a reluctance to embark on a language spoken by most people. Do we have the power to fight it? Believe me, we cannot. My brother, why are we afraid of development and modernization? »
— 13:05 — « This is not linguistic globalization. Is it an imposed globalization, or have we accepted it for ourselves? »
Category
Entertainment