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Project on UAE lexicon is over

AL AIN — The Zayed Centre for Heritage and History has completed the key project of the new lexicon for Emirates dialects.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Dr Hasan Al Naboudah, Director-General of the centre, said that the aim of the project is to keep the UAE’s various vernaculars for new generations, along with simplifying UAE tongues, adding that the dictionary will contain more that 10,500 words and expressions.

Two doctors from the Department of Arabic Language of the UAE University (UAEU) — Dr Fayez Al Qubaisi and Dr Abdul Fattah Al Husani — in addition to the famous UAE poet Shaikha Al Gabri, participated in the project that took five years. Dr Al Naboudah said that the project has proved that all local words have Arabic origins with different pronunciations, according to each region inside the country.

Latifa Al Noeimy, Director of the Cultural Activities Department in the centre, said that 65 female students from the (UAEU) participated in the first phase of gathering strange and uncommon local words. “Seventeen students revised the subject after travelling all over the UAE, searching to meet old people in different places, such as the Fishermen Association and the Emirates Heritage Club in Abu Dhabi, and the Bin Majed Society in Ras Al Khaimah,” said Latifa.

She highlighted that the UAE tribes have different accents, as the coastal inhabitants have different dialects, compared to people from the inner areas. “The dictionary includes a pictorial section to symbolise incomprehensible words,” she said. The lexicon’s arrangers have pulled out many strange phrases from the works of UAE poets like Ahmed bin Zaher, Salih Ozayez Al Mansoury, Oashah Al Sowaidi (Fatat Al Arab), Al Kindy, and Al Khidr.

Mohammed Al Murr, a UAE writer, will review the dictionary, which is now in the printing phase and expected to reach readers before the end of the year.

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