On behalf of the University of Jordan (UJ) President Prof. Nathir Obeidat, the Vice President for Humanities Schools Prof. Salameh Al Naimat patronized the inauguration of the English Scientific Day, organized by the Language Center under the theme "English vs. Arabic: Are They Really THAT Different?".
Al Naimat said, in his opening address of the event which was held to mark International English Language Day, that language is associated with a nation and its identity, noting the importance of Arabic language as the language of the Holy Qur’an, calling on the students to fully master the Arabic language.
He also stressed the importance of paying attention to learning other languages, highlighting the center’s role in teaching the two languages Arabic and English.
Language Center Director, Prof. Sami Ababneh, said Language is the mean of communication between people, but in its deeper sense, it goes beyond that role to be the means by which a person looks at the world, as it reflects the structure of human thinking, experience and heritage.
Assistant Professor of Literature at the Department of English Language and Literature, Dr. Doaa Salameh, spoke in the first session about the cultural encounters between English and Arabic.
The second session featured two information lectures on Fulbright and RELO Programs, whereas the last session, delivered by Professor of Linguistics at the Department of English Language and Literature, Jihad Hamdan, addressed the role of the theory of markedness in language acquisition and description.