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What is Classical Arabic?
What is Modern Standard Arabic?
What is Colloquial Arabic?
How many people use Arabic today?
Why did the Arabic language spread with Islam?
What made it possible to preserve Classical Arabic for so long?
What is the status of Modern Standard Arabic?
Which languages borrowed the Arabic script?
Is the Arabic language uniform amongst the Arab world?
What is Diglossia?
Does Modern Standard Arabic ever overlap with colloquial Arabic?
What are the main Arabic dialects?
Can Arabs from different regions communicate in their respective dialects?
Should a non-native learner study MSA, one of the dialects, or both?
Which dialect should a non-native study?
What is the family tree of the Arabic language?

What is Classical Arabic?

Arabic has been in usage in the Arabian Peninsula for at least 2000 years. Classical Arabic is the formal version that was used in Al-Hijaz region 1500 years ago. Written records of the language include poetry that was composed in pre-Islamic times (ca. 600 AD). The Quran was revealed in Classical Arabic, which is the main reason why the language has preserved its purity throughout the centuries. Arabs consider Classical Arabic as an important part of their culture. Throughout Islamic history Classical Arabic has been the language of royal and princely courts, the bureaucracy and the learned. Literacy expression was conducted mainly in Classical Arabic. Mastery of Classical Arabic and exhibiting this mastery through written and oral literacy expression has always led to respect and awe.

What is Modern Standard Arabic?

Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), as its name indicates, is the modern counterpart of Classical Arabic. It is the official language of 21 Arab countries where it is used in the oral and written form on all formal occasions. The main difference between MSA and Classical Arabic lies in the vocabulary. MSA reflects the needs of contemporary expression whereas Classical Arabic reflects the needs of older styles.

What is Colloquial Arabic?

Colloquial Arabic is the spoken Arabic used by Arabs in their every day lives. Unlike modern standard Arabic that is uniform in all Arab countries, colloquial Arabic is subject to regional variation, not only between different countries, but also within regions in the same country.

How many people use Arabic today?

Arabic is the native language of 200 million people living in 21 Arab countries. It was declared an official language of the UN in January 1974. Arabic is also the language in which Islam's holy book, the Quran, was revealed. Hence, it is the liturgical language of all Muslims around the world whose total approaches a billion, that is 20% of the population of the world. Muslims are spread across more than 60 countries.

Why did the Arabic language spread with Islam?

Arabic, as the language of the Quran, has always had a special status amongst all Muslims. Muslims, throughout the Islamic world, strive to study Arabic in order to be able to comprehend God's message as revealed in the Quran. The continued flow of Arabic speakers from the Peninsula gave them access to authentic models, which facilitated learning the language. In addition, the indigenous populations of the lands that have fallen under Muslim rule have realized that learning Arabic is politically and economically advantageous to them.

What made it possible to preserve Classical Arabic for so long?

That a language survives for fourteen hundred years, over such a vast area of land, spoken by so many different people, is a miracle in its own right. What has stood against the fragmentation of Classical Arabic into different languages?
1. The presence of the Classical Arabic 'model' document - the sacred Quran. The Quran has been read, recited, analyzed and studied by all Muslims throughout the centuries.
2. The establishment of codified rules for Classical Arabic, as well as the great emphasis given to mastering these rules, were instrumental factors in the continued survival of the language.

What is the status of Modern Standard Arabic?

[Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) has an elevated status amongst Arab users. It is quite close to Classical Arabic, so its usage adds a respected glow to the user's cultural and educational status. Linguistic eloquence in MSA is expected to supersede the intellectual one. MSA is the language that truly unifies the Arab world.

Which languages borrowed the Arabic script?

* Kurdish adopted the new symbols in 1924 upon the approval of the Iraqi Arabic Language Academy.

Is the Arabic language uniform amongst the Arab world?

Whereas all Arabs use Modern Standard Arabic for the exchange of printed information, especially on formal occasions, there are dialects used mainly for oral communication, Arabic as a spoken language has been more flexible. Although all dialects may have descended from a single source (which is either Classical Arabic or another spoken variety of it), their development was not tied to the norms or rules of Classical Arabic. However, in spite of the differences between all Arabic dialects, their underlying structures are quite similar.

What is Diglossia?

When two languages, or two varieties of the same language, exist side by side over the years, each being assigned specific functions, a state of diglossia is said to exist. This is the case in Arab countries, where Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) coexists with the spoken dialects. The roles of each are well defined. MSA is considered as the formal or cultural variety. It is used in lectures, public speeches, religious sermons, in the media and in most publications. On the other hand, colloquial Arabic is used in all informal contexts.

Does Modern Standard Arabic ever overlap with colloquial Arabic?

They certainly do, as a mater of fact it is very difficult to find a situation where one type is used exclusively. For example, MSA is used in formal speeches or interviews. However, just as soon as the speaker diverts away from his well-prepared speech in order to add a comment or respond to a question, the rate of colloquial usage in this speech increases dramatically. How much MSA versus colloquial is used depends on the speaker, the topic, the situation - amongst other factors. At the other end of the spectrum, public education as well as exposure to mass media, has introduced MSA elements amongst the least educated so that it would be equally difficult to find an Arab speaker whose speech is totally unaffected by MSA.

What are the main Arabic dialects?

Whereas MSA is the same throughout the Arab world, the dialects vary according to the geographical location. The further away the countries, the greater the variation between the dialects. In a broad sense there is a wide difference between the dialects of eastern countries (Arabian Peninsula) and dialects of western countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and western Libya). Dialects in the Middle East, may be broadly classified as follows:
· Dialects of Egypt and Sudan
· Dialects of the Arabian Peninsula
· Dialects of Syria, Lebanon and Palestine
· Dialects of Iraq
· Dialects of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and western Libya
Within each category, further sub-classification takes place, depending amongst other factors - on the location, level of education, degree of urbanization.

Can Arabs from different regions communicate in their respective dialects?

Arab speakers form various parts of the world do communicate in their respective dialects. However, the degree and ease of comprehensibility depends on two factors:

· The geographical location pertaining to the dialects
· The level of exposure to each dialect

With regards the first factor, Algerians may have more trouble communicating with Saudis than they would with Tunisians, as Algeria is much closer to Tunisia than it is to Saudi Arabia. With regards the second factor, the average Arab throughout the Arab world have no problem whatsoever understanding the Egyptian dialect as they are all exposed to it via TV programs, films and documentaries.

Should a non-native learner study MSA, one of the dialects, or both?

Before venturing on a learning journey, you should choose the learning exercise that would match your objectives best. If your goal is to do research, be able to read Arabic books or media, or use Arabic in formal situations, then MSA is what you need to study. If you are going to use Arabic mainly in the spoken form in order to communicate with people on the streets, then colloquial Arabic may suffice. It is important to note that by studying MSA as the basis of your Arabic language knowledge, you easily acquire the colloquial form, as it is in many ways a simplified version of MSA.

Which dialect should a non-native study?

If you know in advance the region or country where you may use Arabic, then, you should choose its dialect. If, on the other hand, no such plans are definite, then it may be wiser to choose one of the dialects that are most easily comprehensible throughout the Arab region, such as the Egyptian one.

What is the family tree of the Arabic language?

Arabic is a member of the Semitic Branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. The earliest written inscription of Arabic was found at Nemara in Syria on a tombstone. It dates back to 328 AD. The diverse tribes living in the Arabian Peninsula used various dialects of Arabic.

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