A feeling of anger and rage grips me every time I read the sign “puncture” outside tire repair shops. It makes me even more angry to read such names as “Amanah (honesty) Puncture Shop”. I have to ask myself what has become of Arabic? Is our language so short of vocabulary that we have to borrow in order to be able to communicate? I think every Arabic speaker shares my feelings and appreciates the reasons for my anger. After all, they too must feel annoyed whenever they see these words defiantly flashing themselves in their faces.
The word “puncture” in English means to perforate or pierce with a sharp object or perhaps a hole made by a sharp-pointed object. The meaning is of no help to those who go to those shops to have a tire repaired. The real meaning, in fact, would suggest that people were going to the shops to destroy rather than repair a tire. No sane person would go to a tire repair shop and ask the worker to puncture a tire. Why then give the shops so misleading a name? The authorities should immediately intervene to put an end to this confusion. After all, there are standing orders requiring all businesses to use Arabic words for the names of shops. There is of course a word in Arabic which means a person who repairs tires and the word is related to the nature of the job.
The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs should instruct municipal licensing departments to oblige all shops to remove the word “puncture” and use the proper Arabic one in its place. Those who are guilty of violations should be told their licenses will not be renewed unless they follow instructions. It is time for us to show some love and respect for our mother tongue.
Arab News From the Local Press 4 March 2003
