Most Meaningful Takeaway

 When I think of language, I think of a blessing. It is a uniquely human gift, which allows us to communicate and differentiates us from primates. Although the omnipresent English language instinctively governs my life, I find my commodious dwelling in Arabic. My connection to the language is enigmatic. Dogmatically, this heartfelt connection can atrophy from lack of use. It is often easy to neglect the importance of my mother tongue and heritage whilst living in a community besieged by English speakers.

            The short story, ‘The Only Speaker of His Tongue’ by David Malouf, addresses the importance of language and what is lost as they approach demise and extinction. Despite language acting as a mean of communication, it holds much more than words; it posses sentimental value exclusive to each community.

“It is a mystery of the deep past, but also of now. We recapture on our tongue, when we first grasp the sound and make it, the same world in the mouths of our long dead fathers, whose blood we move in and whose blood still moves in us. Language is that blood.”

This is a rather ambiguous quote, however it entrenches sentimental meaning to me. When speaking my mother tongue, I am following after my ancestors. It wasn’t English that they spoke; they spoke Arabic. Thus, the Arabic language holds much more than just intricate, yet exquisite vocabulary. It holds my culture that was developed and passed down to me from previous generations. It is very imperative to preserve this, as it forms my identity. Who would I be without these morals and values that I abide by? 

The word “blood” in its simplest form according to Oxford Dictionaries is ‘the red liquid that circulates in the arteries and veins of humans and other vertebrate animals, carrying oxygen to and carbon dioxide from the tissues of the body.’ Blood is the basis of our existence. Life is in the blood. Childbirth and death alike involve blood, as vulgar as that may sound. This then arises the term “lifeblood,” which is defined as ‘the indispensable factor or influence that gives something its strength and vitality.’ In essence, blood is the basis of life. Thus, denoting that ‘Language is that blood,’ emphasizes the power of language.

Another take on this quote that struck me at first glace is intertwined with religion. The Arabic language was the language that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) spoke, which has been passed down generations. And, part of Islam is following the Prophet’s footsteps. With reference to blood being the basis of life, to many the Quran is the basis of their lives. The language of Quran is in fact Arabic as well. Thus, making this connection between language and blood suggests both the utilization of the Prophet’s tongue, and the power of the Quran. Making it an extremely venerated language, which is exceedingly important to preserve in order to uphold my culture and religion.