Arab Academy of

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

( ar, مجمع اللغة العربية بدمشق) is the oldest academy regulating the

Arabic language Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

, established in 1918 during the reign of Faisal I of Syria. It is based in al-Adiliyah Madrasa and is modeled on the language academies of Europe and founded with the explicit reference to the example of the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

Arabization Arabization or Arabisation ( ar, تعريب, ') describes both the process of growing Arab influence on non-Arab populations, causing a language shift by the latter's gradual adoption of the Arabic language and incorporation of Arab culture, aft ...

was the major mission of this academy after long period of Ottoman domination and use of

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...

in major parts of the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

. Since establishing, it has been operated by notable committees of Arabic language professors, scholars and experts could re-spread the use of Arabic in the state's institutions and daily life of many Arab countries by adapting widely accepted proceedings and records for Arabization. Directors of this academy were as the following: * Muhammad Kurd Ali (1919–1953) *

Khalil Mardam Bey Khalil Mardam Bey (1895–1959) ( ar, خليل مردم بك tr, Halil Mardam Bey) was a Syrian poet and critique who is most notable for composing the lyrics of the Syrian National Anthem. Early life and career Mardam Bey was born in ...

(1953–1959) * Prince Mustafa Shahabi (1959–1968) * Dr. Husni Sabh (1968–1986) * Dr. Shaker Al-Fahham (1986–2008) * Dr. Marwan Mahasne (2008–current) As of 2011, its library contains some 15,000 volumes and 500 manuscripts.

Resources

Arab Academy of Damascus, From ''Answers''
* Versteegh, Kees. The Arabic Language. New York: Edinburgh UP, 2001. Print. Page 178. *Rachad Hamzaoui, ''L’Académie Arabe de Damas et le problème de la modernisation de la langue arabe'', Leiden: Brill, 1965.

References

External links

Arab Academy of Damascus
Arabic language regulators Language regulators Education in Damascus 1918 establishments in Mandatory Syria {{Syria-stub