I consider Jordan’s bilingual Arabic/English heritage a big advantage for the country. It makes our cities, streets and businesses easier to navigate for foreign visitors. It makes English, the world’s global language, an everyday part of Jordan’s citizens’ life. In short it connects us to the world.
I personally value people who are adept at communicating well in both languages. Notice that I am saying BOTH languages. Examples of weak English skills are common in Jordan. But a weakness of Arabic skills among the graduates of some ‘elite’ schools is becoming more common too.
That’s why I am saying: BOTH languages 
Anyway..
This thought was triggered by something I saw today. A bus displaying ‘Wadi Sir’ as its destination.
So what is the correct spelling for that part of town: Wadi Al Seir, Wadi Seer, Wadi Sier or Wadi Sir?
In the name of bilingual integrity, and for the sake of coherence and consistency, I urge the Jordan Jordanian Geographic Centre, the Greater Amman Municipality or whoever is responsible to enforce a unified English spelling for the names of all cities, towns, district, streets, etc..
Yes, this means changing a lot of signs over the next decade! But I think it is necessary for a city the size of Amman.
As for bilingualism: let’s not lose that. The new street name plates installed last week in our street where Arabic only.
Comments
6 responses to “Wadi Al Seir, Wadi Seer, Wadi Sier or Wadi Sir?”
Loved the post.. i think its very imortant to find a unified spelling for a specific place..
just like alot of cities and towns in Jordan..
i was thinking about this wadi al seer, and i think it has a countless possiblities
Thanks Ahmad for stressing the BOTH thing!I totally agree.
An excellent point, actually I would like to be the first one to tell you that the National Geographical Center have been working since a month or so to standardize and unify all the naming of areas in Amman and out side Amman, focusing on tourism attractions.
A Colleague of mine had the chance to attend one of the meetings with the NGC. I got the feedback that they are working hard and dong an excellent job.
It is important to “modernize” the signs and bring some sort of unification about with spellings. However, the Arabic/English translation dilema is quite visible already through what you have just described. I almost think its half the beauty to see things spelled so many different ways, it helps express the fluidity and changing nature of language and also to express that fact that as a foreigner, to fully understand Jordan, Arabic is essentially. Otherwise, you’ll just keep seeing it spelled 7 different ways… thanks for this post! It brought back some great memories of fun signs!
I remember seeing a sign in Amman saying ‘Al Gardenz Street’. It was a while ago, not sure if they’ve changed it or not.
In 1958 the Department of Lands and Surveys of the H. K. of Jordan published a booklet on geographic names: Fihris al-asmā’ al-jughrāfīya/Index Gazetteer. It was, in the first place, an index to the 1/250,000 Jordan Map Series (four sheets) giving all names contained in the map in Arabic and in an simplified English transliteration. There were an Arabic and an English part with the names arranged according to the Arabic resp. the English alphabet.
The transliterations were done very well. One should pick up the thread of this existing system which would be readable not only to English speaking people but also to speakers of other languages as e.g. German, Italian, Spanish (the French or the Chinese would have some problems).
“Wadi Al Seir, Wadi Seer, Wadi Sier or Wadi Sir” is spelled in the Fihris as “Wadi es Sir” echoing the pronunciation “Wādī-s-Sīr”.
One should go in this direction!