MUDHI ALOBTHANI (ABU DHABI)
With English adopted as a second language in many parts of the world, it continues to evolve. It absorbs the expressions and nuances of diverse cultures, reshaping itself to reflect the places where it becomes part of everyday conversation.
In the UAE, experts have observed this dynamic as people of more than 200 live and thrive together.
“English in the UAE often functions as a shared bridge between people who do not have a common native tongue,” said Saddik Gohar, a university professor and a translation expert at the National Library and Archives, sharing his insights on the occasion of English Language Day.
Here, speakers prioritise clarity over grammatical precision. And what stands out, he added, is how words and expressions like “inshallah”, “yalla”, and “majlis” are often integrated into English conversations, reflecting the country’s cultural identity.
“What has emerged is not simply ‘standard’ English transplanted into a new setting, but a flexible, adaptive variety shaped by contact with many languages and cultures,” Gohar said.
He emphasised that diversity has fundamentally redefined the language: “English has become less a ‘foreign’ language and more a shared communicative space negotiated among speakers from very different linguistic backgrounds.”
According to Gohar, this has led to a more streamlined and functional form of English.
“The emphasis naturally shifts from strict adherence to native norms toward mutual intelligibility… clarity becomes the guiding principle,” he said.
On the professional level, he stressed that English is no longer optional. “In the context of the UAE today, it would be difficult to argue that English is merely an ‘additional advantage’… in most sectors, it has effectively become a professional necessity.”
“Knowing English gets one into the room; mastering it can help one move forward within it,” he added.
This idea of English a practical necessity is clearly evident real-life scenarios in international trade, according to Dmitrii Reshetnikov, Senior Expert at the Russian Trade Office in the UAE.
“In my daily work, English is the main tool I use to communicate with partners from different countries, simply because the UAE is home to so many nationalities… it naturally becomes the common bridge between people in such a multicultural environment,” Reshetnikov said.
“At the same time, Arabic remains equally important, especially when it comes to building trust and engaging with local institutions and Emirati counterparts.”
Reshetnikov pointed out that English facilitates smoother negotiations. “I have seen situations where technical or legal details could have slowed things down, but using English allowed us to.
While it has been established that English proficiency is essential in business communication and within a multicultural environment, Gohar stressed that this should not come at the expense of preserving cultural identity.
“Developing strong English skills does not require replacing one’s native language… it involves adding a new layer of expression,” he said.
“Those who approach it as an addition tend to become not only more proficient linguistically, but also more grounded culturally.”