Sarkozy: “Arabic Is the Language of the Future”

The French government is strongly advocating the teaching of Arabic language and civilization in French schools. Not surprising, considering the number of Arabs and Muslims in France, and the unctuous deference with which they are treated by officials, beginning notably with Nicolas Sarkozy, who cannot praise enough the splendor of Arabic contributions to the world.

The French National Assembly was the scene of a meeting earlier this month of the first Conference on the Teaching of Arabic Language and Culture, attended by a variety of interested parties. There was much wearisome blather about the need for "dialogue."

In his message to the participants, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Arabic the "language of the future, of science and of modernity," and expressed the hope that "more French people share in the language that expresses great civilizational and spiritual values."

"We must invest in the Arabic language (because) to teach it symbolizes a moment of exchange, of openness and of tolerance, (and it) brings with it one of the oldest and most prestigious civilizations of the world. It is in France that we have the greatest number of persons of Arabic and Muslim origin. Islam is the second religion of France," Sarkozy reminded his listeners.

He proceeded to enumerate the various "advances in terms of diversity," the increase in Muslim sections of cemeteries, the training of imams and chaplains and the appointments of ministers of diverse backgrounds.

"France is a friend of Arabic countries. We are not seeking a clash between the East and West," he affirmed, emphasizing the strong presence of Arab leaders at the founding summit of the Union for the Mediterranean, last July 13. "The Mediterranean is where our common hopes were founded. Our common sea is where the principal challenges come together: durable development, security, education and peace," added the French president.

Great!

One need to think much to find something that would justify existence of the French state. Bene Quiescas.

not erratic

It is certainly not erratic to speak/understand the principal languages on this planet: english, chinese, spanish, russian and arabic.

Mea Culpa Zhōngwén

Thanks to my having gone wildly off topic, - as is my custom - the Google Adsense algorythm is now targeting this thread with Chinese language study adverts. So, despite my ambivalence as to the efficacy of monosyllabic language systems, the Chinese language has managed to make lemonade from my lemons. Or should I say wine from my sour grapes?

Brendan Scarborough
BritNat

Mei guanxi

That is amusing. Addressing your impression about "monosyllabic" Chinese (like zhongwen?), however, I have the impression that Chinese scholars and scientists of several generations have spent so much time translating foreign works into Chinese that they have effectively created shadow foreign languages within Chinese to function within foreign-created disciplines. You could also say they have expanded Chinese sufficiently to grapple with foreign disciplines. If they fail to create, it will be because they train people like circus animals, not like human beings. However there is much virtue in the Chinese people notwithstanding the brutality in which they are immersed. There is no telling what they will achieve.

@ "Tongzhi" Sarkozy

The world is of the opinion that those who know Chinese characters are wise and worthy, whereas those who do not know characters are simple and stupid".

 

Zheng Qiao (1104-1162), Tong Zhi (Encyclopaedic annals).

 

 

Extrapolate, 'Mon-sewer', extrapolate!

 

 

Incredible .

I find it incomprehensible that the man who refuses to speak in English should advocate the promotion of Arabic for use in France  . What will the L' Academie Francaise say !!

Polite hyperbole?

I agree with you, Brendan, but I'm hoping Sarkozy's remarks are just polite hyperbole.

Anyway, from what I gather, people in the Arabic-speaking world who want to go into science learn European languages like English. There is nothing to suggest that Arabic will become the language of science, other than the possibility that Islam will overwhelm us. One might more reasonably expect Chinese to become the language of science.

There is some point to learning Arabic, however, and that is to keep up with what our enemies are up to. I myself have been learning it for over three years now, and while I'm a long way from being fluent, I can teach beginners. If Sarkozy and other Western leaders want to push Arabic, fine. That will help keep the money rolling in for me.

The challenge of Chinese

JFP: "One might more reasonably expect Chinese to become the language of science."

Actually it has often been suggested that the only thing which has kept the Chinese from ruling the world is the inadequacy of their monosyllabic/disyllabic(?) linguistic system of pictographs which is arguably inferior to the inflectional languages of the Indo-European family of dialects for articulating thoughts and ideas in a concise and easily communicated manner. Ex. The Chinese use four pictographs to represent the words: Affairs - query - imperative - old; which in that order mean: 'why walk in the ancient ways'. Or why do things in an obsolete or old fashioned manner. One needs to think as a Chinese person in order to comprehend the Chinese language; and thinking as a Chinese may not be the most efficient approach for any advanced form of communication. If the Chinese ever replace Mandarin with Schriftdeutsch we're buggered!

Brendan Scarborough
BritNat

Bu shi

I doubt the Chinese languge poses any significant obstacle to scientific or cultural achievement, though literacy is indeed harder to achieve and sustain when you have to learn thousands of characters composed of 100+ radicals. But we learn thousands of words composed of 26 letters. It is the brutality and barbarism of the political and social system which allows so few to pursue inspiration of any kind that will be a clog on Chinese achievement for the foreseeable future.

Shi

Regardless of any theoretical linguistic handicaps, at least Walmart, Tesco, and the international investment community have made it possible for the Chinese to acquire the industrial infrastructure and financial resources which will give them the ability to conquer us both economically and militarily within a few decades. Insert wry expressioned smilie here. But they had better hurry up and come and get us before the Muslims take over and there is nothing in the West worth carting off to Beijing.

Brendan Scarborough
BritNat

Ni shuo de dui

And don't forget military and computer technology virtually given away. All as a result of naive right-liberalism: believing that our store of money and inventions are infinite and that the invisible hand will guard us from the consequences of violating natural law. We have lost the wisdom of the old Portuguese who guarded their navigational discoveries like the national treasures they were.

Dhimmi Sarkopath

Sarkozy:"In his message to the participants, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Arabic the "language of the future, of science and of modernity," and expressed the hope that "more French people share in the language that expresses great civilizational and spiritual values."

As one of the last remaining members of the European race not yet taken over by the pods; I have nothing left to cling to but David Icke's theory that our planet is currently under the control of a race of reptilian extraterrestrials, and that our political leaders are in fact these aliens incognito. As obviously ridiculous and patently fictitious as this story may be, it almost seems more plausible than the bizarre events I am witnessing before my very eyes.

Arabic is the: 'language of the future, of Science and of modernity'? What an audacious insult to generations of francophone Kings, artists, scientists: chemists, physicists, astronomers, archaeologists, anthropologists; architects, engineers, musicians, writers, fashion designers, philosophers, palaeontologists and physicians. It seems to me the French language has served the French people quite well. But who knows to what heights of genius Louis Pasteur, Sully Prudhomme, Albert Camus, and the Sun King may have ascended if only they had been employing a Middle Eastern linguistic system rather than that primitive, obsolete Indo-European gibberish foolishly defended by Charles Martel and his merry band of cultural bigots at Tours.

Sarkozy:"We must invest in the Arabic language (because) to teach it symbolizes a moment of exchange, of openness and of tolerance."

What? exchange, openness, and tolerance? The only exchange in which the Muslims of Europe are interested is an exchange of European civilisation for that of the new Islamic Caliphate setting itself up in our homeland. And will the Muslims requite this programme of Arabic 101 by teaching French in their madrasas?

Openness? This seems a rather one sided proposition. We are expected to be open to Islam whilst the Muslims are entirely closed minded and hostile in regards to our own culture. A culture the Muslims indeed regard as decadent and degenerate, and deserving of supplanting by their own. Openness? Yes, I can imagine our women will find great enthusiasm for the openness of the Burkha and sequestration from society as prisoners within their own homes. And Gays must be particularly beside themselves with excitement at the prospect of this new openness coming to their ville française.

Tolerance? You mean for cartoons and books or anyone who isn't abjectly deferential to Muslim sensibilities? You mean like the tolerance shown for the peaceful Pro-Köln rally? I see. I am sure Salman Rushdie, Theo van Gogh, Sherry Jones and her publisher Martin Rynja, you know, the fellow almost tolerated to death by a Muslim plot to fire bomb his home because they didn't like his client's book? -would be all simply thrilled and deeply comforted to hear of this tolerance.

It is quite beyond my abilities of comprehension to even attempt an understanding of an obviously diseased mind such as Sarkozy's. Not only does this man have a claim on being the greatest traitor in French history; he is also an incomparable fool. I have news Monsieur le President. When Europe falls to the Ummah, you as a Jew, will be among the first treated to Islamic charity and tolerance along with the other 600,000 Jews of France, who, along with 62 million of their countrymen, should be calling for your head.

Brendan Scarborough
BritNat

Time to drop la Francophonie

In the future it will be the French learning Arabic, and no longer the Arabs learning French. If the French State stopped funding la Francophonie's fruitless worldwide language propaganda, a lot of money would be saved for the French taxpayer. And don't think about the French learning English as an alternative to Arabic. That would be easier, but it cannot be allowed to happen. You know, French identity and all that. Arabic, yes, English, no.

Oops! the media lied!

"What happened ?? I thought he was a conservative?"

He was touted as a conservative but wasn't one. He was elected president because the voters hoped he would be tougher on immigration issues than the socialist candidate. The mass media practically presented him as an anti-immigration fascist.

" the increase in Muslim sections of cemeteries "

a striking aspect of the population replacement !

letthefrogscroak: "And don't think about the French learning English as an alternative to Arabic. That would be easier, but it cannot be allowed to happen. You know, French identity and all that. Arabic, yes, English, no."

Don't think about the Bretons being allowed to keep to their Breton language either. You know, French identity and all that. Arabic, yes, Breton, no. Same thing goes for the Basque, Corsican, Alsatian, Tahitian...

Sarko: "We must invest in the Arabic language"

It is mostly empty talk. American schools that operate in Spanish in the USA have no equivalent in france. From what I've read, only 8.000 schoolchildren and 6.000 university students are allowed to get a few lessons in Arabic in france. I wish the number was one million of them receiving a complete education in Arabic. They would welcome that, and it would make an obstacle to the race-replacement policy. The use of Arabic by Arabs living in the West should be the least of our worries.

Sarko is a nightmare, nobody

Sarko is a nightmare, nobody could never knew that he would be that bad. Let him run a nightclub for Arabs and bimbo's (like his wife) but not a country !

What the French Do

In Canada, the French Canadian separatist leaders in Quebec began changing their focus from ethnic purity to language, as their population growth was clearly outstripped by English Canada and English was the language of business, etc. Repressive language laws notwithstanding, Quebec began allowing in waves of Francophone Blacks from the Caribbean and Africa provided they reside in Quebec and speak French. Eventually these "new" Quebecois would vote twice against secession and turn swathes of Montreal into ghettoes.

 

France is equally determined to best the Anglosphere. The consequences for French civilization will be terrible.

Quel imbecile

He is like the child in the fable who rescued a freezing snake. When the snake recovered, it bit him. What did you expect, it asked. I'm a snake.

Islamic culture will not change its nature by being fostered in France. Sarkozy is an ignoramus. Patriots now may consider him a traitor. Future generations will compare him to Petain, unfairly perhaps to Petain, who had to deal with a successful military invasion. Sarkozy is inviting the invasion and attempting to ensure its success. A worthy successor to Chirac. The French do not deserve this, though it is perhaps the logical outcome of a revolutionary culture willing to sacrifice everything sacred for temporary political advantage.