Arab Mobile Communication Studies

on the mobile


Dr Sadie Plant


This report is the result of a global enquiry into the social
impact of the mobile phone. In French it is called le portable,
or le G, which stands for GSM. The Finns have adopted
the term kanny, which sprang from a brand name but also
refers to an extension of the hand. In German it is the handy;
in Spanish it is el movil; Americans still call it a cell phone. In
Arabic it is sometimes called el mobile, but often a telephone
sayaar or makhmul (both of which refer to carrying) or
a telephone gowal (air telephone). In Thailand it is a moto.
In Japan it is keitai denwa, a carried telephone, or simply
keitai, or even just ke-tai. In China it is sho ji, or ‘hand
machine’, although the early mobile was a dageda, which
literally means ‘big brother big’ and is often translated as
‘big brother’ – not a homage to George Orwell, but a simple
nickname for what were then large, bulky devices; as well, it
is said, as a reference to the cool triad bosses of Hong Kong
cinema who were seen to carry mobiles for years before their
use became widespread.


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