This article explores the linguistic tension resulting from the English-medium instruction policy at a state university in the UAE. The article is informed by a critical theoretical approach that views language policy from the vantage point of both Arabic and English. It argues that, contrary to the stated national and institutional goals, the current language policy and its implementation are depleting the linguistic capital of the nation. Data drawn from multiple sources show that English-medium instruction is incompatible with the students’ low levels of proficiency in English; that the implementation of the institution’s bilingual policy is geared towards the development of English only; and that a monolingual conceptualisation underpins institutional practices, thus contributing to Arabic language loss in the education domain. The article proposes that higher education in the country be linguistically diversified in order to achieve the goals of higher education and to protect the linguistic rights of local citizens.

中文翻译：

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阿拉伯联合酋长国高等教育的语言政策：阿拉伯语的熟练程度、选择和未来

本文探讨了阿联酋一所州立大学的英语教学政策导致的语言紧张。这篇文章采用了一种批判性的理论方法，该方法从阿拉伯语和英语的角度来看待语言政策。它认为，与既定的国家和制度目标相反，当前的语言政策及其实施正在耗尽国家的语言资本。多方数据显示，英语教学与学生英语水平低不相容；该机构双语政策的实施仅针对英语的发展；并且单语概念化支撑了制度实践，从而导致了教育领域中阿拉伯语的流失。