About the Arabic Language
Arabic is spoken in more than 20 countries, from Morocco to Egypt and throughout the Arabian peninsula. It is the first language of over 195 million people, and at least another 35 million speak Arabic as a second language.
Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is the official language throughout the Arab world, and in its written form it is relatively consistent across national boundaries. MSA is used in official documents, in educational settings, and for communication between Arabs of different nationalities. If someone wants to learn Arabic, it is important to keep in mind that the spoken forms of the language vary widely, and each Arab country has its own dialect. Dialects are spoken in most informal settings, such as at home, with friends, or while shopping. Egyptian Arabic is the most widely understood of all spoken dialects, due mainly to Egypt's role as the major producer of movies and TV programs in the Arab world.
Arabic belongs to the Semitic family of languages. It is written from right to left, like Hebrew. With a literary tradition that dates back to the days of Mohammed in the 7th century, It is also the language of Islam, one of the world's major religions. In fact, the spread of Islam transformed the regions of Northern Africa and the Middle East into Arabic-speaking areas within a century of its founding. In later centuries, Arabic was spoken in parts of Europe and Asia following additional Arab conquests.
Today, words of Arabic origin can be found in some European languages such as Italian and Spanish, due to periods of Arab reign in those countries. English words of Arabic origin include algebra, alcohol, mosque, tariff, alcove, magazine, elixir, sultan and cotton. When learning Italian, these words are similar.
Arabic Grammar Stumpers!
Learning Modern Standard Arabic can be challenging. The sound system is completely different from Germanic and Romance languages. Arabic pronunciation includes a variety of distinctive guttural sounds that are formed in a different way than most words in European languages. Arabic grammar, however, is relatively straightforward. There are only two verb tenses, and Arabic verbs are regular in conjugation. There are cases for Arabic nouns, but only three: nominative, genitive, and accusative. These aspects of the language compensate for some of the difficulties non-native speakers may experience when learning Arabic pronunciation and reading.
The Arabic writing system is quite different from the English system. The Arabic alphabet consists of 28 letters that change shape depending on their position within a word and the letters by which they are surrounded. Some Arabic letters must be connected to other letters; others may stand alone. Arabic vowels are indicated by marks above and below the consonants, but in some texts such as newspapers and magazines, these marks are omitted. Additionally, there are no special forms, such as the use of capital letters in English, to indicate proper nouns or the beginning of a sentence. A good way to begin learning Arabic phrases is by learning the Arabic alphabet and the rules that govern spelling. After all, Arabic writing is more than just a system of communication; it is considered to be an art form.
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