<\/p>\n
Not too long ago, a study conducted by two researchers at the\u00a0University of Haifa<\/strong>\u00a0concluded that, unlike other languages such as\u00a0English<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Hebrew<\/a><\/strong>, readers in Arabic<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>perform comparatively much more \u0646\u0634\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0627\u0637 \u062f\u0645\u0627\u063a\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u064a<\/strong> (cerebral activity), since the two halves of the brain process Arabic differently than they would for other languages.<\/p>\n The two researchers of the University of Haifa are Dr. Raphiq Ibrahim<\/strong>, of the Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities and the Learning Disabilities Department<\/strong>, and Prof. Zohar Eviatar<\/strong> of the Department of Psychology<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt emerges that the contribution of the two halves of the brain to processing written language depends on the graphic and linguistic structure of these languages,\u201d said Dr. Ibrahim.<\/p>\n Cartoon from a Jordanian newspaper: “Wanted!\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>\u0627\u0644\u0639\u0642\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0644 \u0627\u0644\u0639\u0631\u0628\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u064a\u00a0<\/strong>(The Arab Brain)”<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Such research results, if need be, blow to pieces the usual “self-deprecating” pseudo-theories occasionally met in the Arab world, which deal with a presupposed “passivity effect” of the Arabic language<\/a> upon the brain of its Arab speakers! \n As you already know, each half of the brain, called in Arabic “\u0646\u0650\u0635\u0641 \u0643\u064f\u0631\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u064f\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u062e<\/strong>”\u00a0(a “cerebral hemisphere”), is responsible for a specific set of intellectual activities:<\/p>\n The right hemisphere tackles any\u00a0\u0645\u064f\u062a\u064e\u0632\u064e\u0627\u0645\u0650\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0646\u00a0<\/strong>(“simultaneous”) space-related performance, whereas the left hemisphere takes care of the \u062a\u0633\u0644\u0633\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0644\u064a\u00a0<\/strong>(“sequential”) verbal messaging.<\/p>\n To this purpose, the University of Haifa study has led two main tests with subjects divided into three groups, each time using their own mother tongue language:<\/p>\n In the first test, “words and pseudo-words (strings of letters that have no literal meaning) were presented on a screen, and the subjects were asked to figure out whether the stimulus was a real word; their response time, accuracy, and sensitivity were measured with every key pressed.”<\/p>\n In the second test, “the subjects were presented with various words on the right or the left side of the screen, which directs the information to be processed by the opposite hemisphere (i.e., when the proper or nonsense word is screened on the right side of the screen, it will be processed by the left side of the brain, and vice versa, a stage called \u201cunilateral\u201d). The various \u0643\u0644\u0645\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0627\u062a<\/strong> (words) were then shown on both sides of the screen, while under the target word there was a symbol that indicated that this was the word that they should treat, while the other stimulus appeared on the other side of the screen in order to distract the brain processing. This stage is called “bilateral.”<\/p>\n \n Comparing both tests establishes the level of interaction between the two hemispheres during the brain\u2019s processing of each language.<\/p>\n The results show that as far as Hebrew and English are concerned, both hemispheres of the brain work \u0628\u0635\u0641\u0629 \u0645\u0633\u062a\u0642\u0644\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0629<\/strong>\u00a0(independently.) On the other hand, for Arabic readers, it emerged that the resources of both the right and left hemisphere were in fact utilized.<\/p>\n \u201cThis proves that the Arabic language doesn\u2019t behave like other languages when it comes to anything connected with decoding its graphic symbol,” said Dr. Ibrahim.<\/p>\n Although some would like to interpret the results of the study to brand Arabic language as simply “too hard to learn”, to build the case for “\u0644\u064f\u063a\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0627\u062a \u0623\u0633\u0647\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0644<\/strong>” (“simpler languages”) to learn, the question is again raised as to whether “those who speak certain languages have \u0623\u064e\u0641\u0652\u0636\u064e\u0644\u064a\u0651\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0629\u00a0<\/strong>(an advantage) over those who speak other languages; and the role of pedagogy in improving reading skills among regular readers is brought once again to the fore.”<\/p>\n As far as we are concerned, learning Arabic should be strongly encouraged the same way other intellectual activities are, such as \u0627\u0644\u0634\u064e\u0651\u0637\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0631\u0646\u062c<\/strong> (Chess), which\u00a0require a higher-than-normal cerebral activity.<\/p>\n The end result?<\/p>\n Among countlessly many other benefits, it develops and enhances \u0645\u0647\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0627\u0631\u0627\u062a\u0640\u0643 \u0627\u0644\u0625\u062f\u0631\u0627\u0643\u064a\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0629 \u0648\u0627\u0644\u0645\u0639\u0631\u0641\u064a\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0629<\/strong> (your perceptive and cognitive skills)!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Not too long ago, a study conducted by two researchers at the\u00a0University of Haifa\u00a0concluded that, unlike other languages such as\u00a0English\u00a0and\u00a0Hebrew, readers in Arabic\u00a0perform comparatively much more \u0646\u0634\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0627\u0637 \u062f\u0645\u0627\u063a\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u064a (cerebral activity), since the two halves of the brain process Arabic differently than they would for other languages. The two researchers of the University of Haifa…<\/p>\n
\nSuch “self-sarcastic” and “self-deprecating” tendencies are reflected in Arabic jokes<\/a> often heard in countries like Tunisia and Yemen which can go like this:
\n“Brains of many nationalities were once being sold for a hefty price, and as it turned out, the most expensive of them all were the ones from [insert name of Arabic country here]… And why is that? Because, supposedly, it’s a brand new brain, never functioned before!”
\nNow, with the University of Haifa study, whoever harbored any doubts regarding the unique cerebreal features of Arabic language should know better. And perhaps the Arab governments will now start thinking about doing something to put an end to <\/strong><\/em>\u0647\u0650\u062c\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0631\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0623\u062f\u0645\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u0640\u063a\u0629<\/strong> (the “brain drain”) of Arab scientists—one of the highest in all the regions of the world!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n