LANGUAGE PLANNING IN MIDDLE EAST Language planning (also known as language engineering) is a deliberate effort to influence the function, structure, or acquisition of languages or language variety within a speech community.[1] It is often associated with government planning, but is also used by a variety of non-governmental organizations, such as grass-roots organizations, and individuals. Goals of such planning vary. Better communication through assimilation of a single dominant language can bring economic benefits to minorities but is also perceived to facilitate their political domination.[2] It involves the establishment of language regulators, such as formal or informal agencies, committees, societies or academies, to design or develop new structures to meet contemporary needs The term 'language planning' was introduced by the American linguist Einar Haugen in the late 1950s and refers to all conscious efforts that aim at changing the linguistic behaviour of a speech community. It can include anything 'from proposing a new word to a new language' (Haugen 1987: 627). Language policy is sometimes used as a synonym for language planning. However, more precisely, language policy refers to the more general linguistic, political and social goals underlying the actual language planning process. Although language planning is a widespread and long-standing practice, only in the 1960s, when a large number of newly independent nations in Africa and Asia faced the question of the selection and implementation of a national language, did language policy and planning emerge as an area of sociolinguistic enquiry . Based on the distinction between language as an autonomous linguistic system and as a social institution, the German linguist, Heinz Kloss (1967, 1969), distinguished two basic types of language planning is corpus planning, which is concerned with the internal structure of the language, and status planning, which refers to all efforts undertaken to change the use and function of a language (or language variety) within a given society. Typical activities of corpus planning include devising a writing system for a spoken language, initiating spelling reforms, coining new terms and publishing grammar books. A central aspect of corpus planning (and language planning) is language standardisation, which can be understood as the creation and establishment of a uniform linguistic norm. Status planning, which refers to the allocation of new functions to a language (such as using the language as medium of instruction or as an official language), affects the role a language plays within a given society. The decision to use Hebrew as a medium of instruction in Jewish schools in Palestine from the end of the nineteenth century is an example of status planning. Previously, classical Hebrew had not been used in everyday communication, and its use had been restricted to prayers and religious as well as scholarly writings. The introduction of Hebrew-medium schools created the conditions for the revival of Hebrew as a common language used in everyday communication. Language-planners distinguish many possible functions a language can occupy in society. Firstly is Official where the use of a language 'as legally appropriate language for all politically and culturally representative purposes on a nationwide basis. In many cases, the official function of a language is specified constitutionally' (Stewart 1968). For the example in Ireland both Irish and English have official status. Next, provincial is the use of a language 'as a provincial or regional official language. In this case, the official function of the language is not nationwide, but is limited to a smaller geographic area' (Stewart 1968). For the example in the Canadian province of Quebec, French is the only official language (since 1974), while both English and French have official status in the other provinces of Canada. Furthermore, wider communication is the use of a language 'as a medium of communication across language boundaries within the nation (lingua franca)' (Stewart 1968). Examples is Swahili in Kenya and Tanzania, Hindi and English in India. Languages Spoken In Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is a country in the Arabian Peninsula. The country’s population is estimated at 27 million with about 8.4 million being the foreign community working in the lucrative oil industry. The official language of Saudi Arabia is Arabic which is used in business and other communication purposes. English is also widely spoken and is taught as a compulsory second language in schools. Though Arabic is the language spoken by a majority of the people, there are other minority languages spoken mainly by expatriates. There are some language that be used in Saudi Arabia : Arabic Arabic is the official language of Saudi Arabia, and the mother tongue for most of Saudi’s natives. The classical version of Arabic is hardly used in regular conversations and is mainly found in the Quran and other classical works, poetry and is used by religious scholars. Classical Arabian is considered an exclusive written language rather than a spoken one. Modern Standard Arabic is the most widely spoken version which is used in media, schools as a second foreign language, and published works. In Saudi Arabia, there are three standard dialects of spoken Arabic including Najdi Arabic, Hejazi, and Gulf or Khaliji Arabic. Najdi Arabic Najdi Arabic is used as the first language in the central region of Saudi Arabia with a total of about 8million speakers. Najdi has four major sub-dialects, which include northern Najdi (spoken in Qaseem, Jabal Shamaar, and Zufi regions in Saudi Najd). The Central Najdi (an urban dialect spoken in Saudi Arabia’s capital), the southern Najdi (spoken in south-central Saudi in the city of Kharj and towns and villages surrounding it), and Badawi Najdi (spoken by the nomadic people of Najd region of Saudi). Hejazi Arabic Hejazi or western Arabian Arabic is spoken predominantly in the western region of Saudi Arabia by approximately 8million of the population. Hejazi is in two main dialects the rural dialect spoken by the rural Bedouin population and the urban dialect mainly spoken in Mecca, Yanbu, Jeddah, and Medina cities of Saudi. Gulf Arabic Gulf Arabic is spoken along the shores of the Pacific Gulf in Saudi Arabia. The dialect is similar to the other Gulf Arabic dialects in other countries except for a few differences. Language planning and policy in Saudi Arabia language planning and policy in Saudi Arabia; for example, by policy-makers such as the Ministry of Education, as well as to examine the essentially bottom-up influences regarding foreign language planning and policy in terms of the Saudi students and their schools and communities. It is important to mention from the outset that this project does not focus explicitly on English as a Second or Foreign Language in Saudi Arabia. Education policy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is concerned with the education system as a civilizational demand which it endeavours to meet by the continuous development of educational systems and regulations to keep pace with the rapid developments in human activity. Education policy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia believes in the principle, based on religious and social constants and engagement with international agreements and declarations, including the Dakar Declaration (2000), of equality of opportunity for all citizens. Eager to implement the recommendations of the Dakar Declaration, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia published its plans for Education for All for the next few years for all regions of the country, leaving space for state sectors and civil society institutions to participate in the Education for All programmes. Not neglecting the role of the teacher in fostering the concept of Education for All, the Kingdom has adopted the international “Education for All Week”, scheduled by UNESCO each year to remind nations of their commitments. In 2006, the Kingdom gave this the theme of “Every Child Needs a Teacher”, in affirmation of the role of the teacher and importance of the teacher being suitably qualified pedagogically to implement the educational process and achieve its goals. Refference . Abdulrahman I. Al-Shaer. 2007. Education for All Programmes in the Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia . United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (PDF) Foreign language planning in Saudi Arabia: beyond English. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272122368_Foreign_language_planning_in_Saudi_Arabia_beyond_English [accessed Nov 18 2018]. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-saudi-arabia.html