Don’t allow Dhivehi language to be diminished through influence from foreign language: Adam Shareef

Minister of City, Local Government and Public Works Adam Shareef has urged the public to not let the Dhivehi language get destroyed or weakened under the influence from foreign languages.

Speaking at a special event held on Thursday night to mark the Dhivehi Language Day, Minister Shareef said that the mother tongue plays a huge role in the progress of a country and that the Dhivehi language is a tool of unity for the people of Maldives.

“If we especially want to revive the nationalism of this country, we must protect [and] preserve the Dhivehi language. And we must also develop it,” said Shareef during his speech as the Chief Guest of the ceremony.

The Minister said that there are areas of concern when looking at the current situation and trends of the country. He sighted the significant number of Maldivians who are not fluent in Dhivehi and do not understand the language’s grammar properly as one of the main reasons. He also highlighted that a lot of mistakes can often be noticed in the notices published in common places like the produce markets.

According to the Minister, these are shameful situations.

“The fear that the beauty, sweetness, and fluency of the Dhivehi language withering away from us is real. While it may be so, we must still be determined to work towards preserving the Dhivehi language, so that we don’t lose it,” the Minister urged.

The annual Dhivehi Language Day is officially celebrated on 14th April of every year, however, this year the celebrations were delayed due to various reasons.

During the celebratory event this year, two books were released; one on the separation of the Dhivehi terms and the other on using diacritics or accents on Thaana letters.

Also speaking at the ceremony, President of the Academy of Dhivehi Language Dr Ashraf Abdul Raheem said that the books would be shared with government offices, schools and news outlets.

As a means of prioritizing Dhivehi, the Academy no longer responds to emails sent in English by government offices of the Maldives, said Ashraf. Instead, a request is sent to resend the email in Dhivehi.

“I have now informed all staff of the Academy to not respond to any emails sent in English by government offices of the Maldives. Requests made [in the emails] should also not be fulfilled. Instead, we’re informing [them] that communication with the Academy of Dhivehi Language must be made in Dhivehi,” said Ashraf.

As such, he called onto other government offices to follow suit. It would be a positive change that can be brought to the language, he said.