Culture & Arts Chapter in Qatar University (QU) Alumni Association has organized a cultural webinar entitled: “The Diacritical Marks’ Aesthetic Expression in the Arabic Language”, presented by Dr. Mohammad Khaled Al-Rahawi, Professor of Linguistic Studies in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature, at the College of Arts and Sciences at Qatar University.
The webinar aims to discuss how diacritical marks affect the meaning and improve the capacity to taste similar words with various meanings. The seminar offers answers to the following queries: Does the meaning change as a result of the word’s changing structure? How did the ancients employ diacritical marks to overcome daily challenging circumstances? How can the diacritical marks reflect a person’s emotional or physical state?
Commenting on the webinar, Amna Abdulkarim, Vice President of Culture & Arts Chapter- QU Alumni Association said: “The Arabic language is an essential pillar of our chapter because it serves as a carrier, transmitter, and preserver of our culture. It is also the title of our identity, the literary, philosophical and historical legacy that begins with the diacritical marks, proceeds via structure, and ends with style. Arabic is a universal language that has attracted numerous non-native speakers throughout history and into the present to learn how to recite the Qur’an and unveil the hidden meanings of its expressed words”.
For his part, Dr. Mohammad Khaled Al-Rahawi, Professor of Linguistics Studies in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature, College of Arts and Sciences at Qatar University, said: “Although diacritical marks appear in other languages too, in the Arabic language it has an added advantage because it serves the vocal, rhythmic, aesthetic, and expressive functions in addition to allowing speakers to shade their speech with the tone, intonation, and extension. The diacritical marks on words are like the colors in a beautiful painting, which the artist uses to express what he wants to convey from meanings”.
“The sole method for separating the meanings of words that have similar sounds is the diacritical marks in the structure that has different meanings. Just as one diacritical mark can alter many rulings and dismantle families, it can also completely flip the meaning of anything, turning praise into criticism and criticism into praise”. Dr Al-Rahawi added.
Source: Qatar University
