From: soufi@m.cs.uiuc.edu (Khaled S. Soufi)
Subject: Re: An opinion on AlphaLeb
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 23:48:04 GMT

e.d.wardini@easteur-orient.uio.no (Elie Dib Wardini) (Elie Dib Wardini) writes:

> posted for Barre Ludvigsen:

[...]

>Having expressed my feeling that AlphaLeb's greatest merit
>is its potential for strengthening the cultural position of
>Lebanese as a language, I cannot but confess that I have
>some very strong worries about it's potential success. 

>If it is truly meant to be an effort in the defence and
>development of Lebanese, it is inseparable from Arabic both
>as a language and as alphabet. 

>If it is meant as an expedient for writing in Lebanese, and
>particularly with digital aids, there are other, much better
>and more culturally defensible methods of acheiving that
>those means and aims.

>My main worry and argument is that Lebanese, in whatever
>linguistic form, is inseparable from the Arabic language,
>alphabet and scripts. Divorce is a painful process, because
>it negates the principle of love on which a relationship was
>initially founded. The uniquely Lebanese form of culture and
>life is inescapably rooted in the overwhelming strengths of
>the Arabic language. (Much in the same way that the uniquely
>Norwegian character and culture is rooted in the Catholic
>traditions of Europe, even though the majority of Norwegians
>neither feel nor are particularly aware or indeed endeared
>by that fact.)  Divorcing the Lebanese language from the
>Arabic by using the Latin alphabet as a basis for AlphaLeb,
>which is what it would mean, is in my opinion a grave
>mistake. As an expedient for digital communication it is
>fine. I would indeed make a strenuous effort to use it
>myself, in the absence of otherwidespread means of writing.
>But an alphabet as a means of conveying language is an
>extremely strong visual means of expression. It's visual
>character is inexorably tied to lingustic and cultural
>expression. It may just be my rather romantic view, painted
>with the reminiscences of childhood, but Arabic is more than
>any langauge tied to the visual and graphic forms of its
>alphabet and many expressive scripts.

>Thus, as an expedient for communication digitally within the
>constrains of the latin alphabet ASCII code, AlphaLeb is an
>admirable innovation, which I aplaud and welcome. As an
>alphabet for Lebanese, it merely serves to widen the gap
>between the Lebanese expatriate community on the net and
>those off, whether at home or abroad. Arabic character
>typewriters have been available for ages. Arabic editors and
>processors for various digital environments are available
>and will undoubtedly increase in number. With a growing
>software development community both public and private,
>there will surely be developed programs of a uniquely Middle
>Eastern character with which to express the various Arabic
>languages in Arabic scripts. 

[...]

>- Barre Ludvigsen

I really felt envious of your style and wisdom as I was reading your
post.  These are the words I wished I could have said, certainly, the
feelings I have in my mind and heart.  It really can't be said anymore
eloquantly than that.  It is always a joy to see and hear people with
open minds and almost divine wisdom express their views.  Mr. Barre
Ludvigsen, you said you were taught the facts of life in Lebanon
having been raised in our beautiful country.  I truly believe that
Lebanon and the Lebanese have a great asset in you.  Thank you for
keeping Lebanon so dear to your big heart.

-- 
+-----------Khaled Soufi-------------+--------------------------+
|   Department of Computer Science   | email: soufi@cs.uiuc.edu |
| U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | phone: (217)244-2274 (W) |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------+
Newsgroups: soc.culture.lebanon