Introduction
Preserving a language from extinction means preserving the heritage of its speakers and their cultures. It also means protecting part of human culture as its speakers are part of the human entity whose culture is integrated with other people to be combined with human heritage. The death of a language means death to a part of human culture.
Stopping using a mother language and caring for another language is one of the most important reasons for its extinction. Language disappears when people -the holders of this language- stop using their inherited languages and start using another politically, economically, militarily, or religiously dominant language.
Languages have always been vulnerable to extinction throughout human history. Less-used languages may disappear over time and be replaced by more common languages. They can be neglected by new adult speakers, thus becoming extinct with the death of their last speakers.
Krauss (1992) observed the global situation regarding language endangerment. He estimated that only 10% of languages were safe in the long run, while more than 50% were on their way to disappearing, and the remaining proportion was threatened by extinction at the end of this century (Lewis & Simon, 2001).
UNESCO and public and private academic bodies and universities track, classify and document the status of the languages used in the world. In addition, they are keen on the development of plans and programs to document endangered languages and dialects. Many successful practices in this regard must be referred to for future studies in this field.
As part of the world, Saudi Arabia has many endangered dialects and some languages that can be considered endangered languages. Since language reflects identity and national heritage, studying these languages and dialects must be drawn up similar to what is happening globally.
Languages and dialects in Saudi Arabia
Many languages lived in the Arabian Peninsula and expressed all that man needed in those periods as food, drink, communication, war, peace, agriculture, social events, etc.
Nowadays, within Arabia, there are different languages spoken by a few groups in Oman, Yemen, and parts of southern and eastern Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region. These languages are derived from Semitic languages and are known as contemporary Southern Arabic or South-Eastern Semitic. These languages are endangered. Several studies have been carried out to collect and document these languages, but these studies are still few, most of which are written in non-Arabic languages.
There are many local dialects now that have pre-blogging roots. It is a rich linguistic diversity that carries much of Saudi Arabia's cultural heritage. However, it is striking that many of these dialects are losing many of their linguistic features due to easy communication, especially the predominance of virtual communication in the current era.
The loss of languages and dialects is a matter of concern because this means the loss of cultural diversity. For these reasons, many projects are being launched worldwide to prevent or slow the loss of language, including projects to revive endangered languages and promote education and literacy among minorities.
Therefore, this culture and heritage must be preserved by developing serious programs involving individuals and government and private institutions to preserve endangered languages. Therefore, the Saudi Ministry of Culture has provided research grants to support such projects, including the current one.
This project is presented through the Center for Research & Intercommunication Knowledge to study endangered dialects and languages in Saudi Arabia.
The aim of the project
Study the endangered languages and dialects in Saudi Arabia. It includes several sub-objectives as follows:
Preliminary study to determine the following:
1. Identify best practices for identifying and maintaining endangered languages in compliance with UNESCO requirements.
2- Conduct a comprehensive survey of all languages and dialects in Saudi Arabia.
3. Identify the most important languages and dialects threatened with extinction and provide the action plan for research grants and field study.
4- Write a preliminary report of the preliminary study obtained and prepared in accordance with UNESCO requirements.
Field study:
1. Training the field team in documenting endangered languages in accordance with UNESCO's methodology.
2. Ensure the integrity of documentation methods and dealing with languages, dialects, people, and associated intangible heritage.
3. Conduct a detailed field study on 1-3 endangered languages/dialects dealing with the local population by dealing with specialized agencies from universities, associations, and others.
4. Support researchers who speak endangered languages and dialects first, then Saudis and international researchers.
5. Study and document intangible heritage related to endangered languages or dialects.
6. Cover all technical, financial, and other needs for field studies.
Methodology
In the study of endangered dialects and languages in Saudi Arabia, the project will rely on literature review, UNESCO practices and methods, as well as successful global experiences in the world since the Europeans began documenting and studying their contemporary languages and dialects with a scientific methodology since the beginning of the 19th century. It will also rely on collecting natural data from indigenous speakers according to a careful pre-planned program. Leeds and London universities will train a dedicated team for this type of study.
Team:
Munira Ali Al-Azraqi, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University.
Salem Suleiman Khammash, King Abdulaziz University
Meshael Ali Al-Okli, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University d.
Hassan Al-Faifi, King Saud University
Laila Hamad Al-Qahtani, Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal University
