اَلبَابُ الاوَلُ
The Arabic Language
Arabic belongs to the semitic group of languages. Other living languages of this group are modern Hebrew( as spoken and written in Israel) , Amharic, and other spoken languages of Ethiopia , aramic dialects current in parts of Syria and Iraq , and Maltese. Among dead languages of this group the most import is biblical Hebrew ; others include Akkadian ( Babylonian and Assyrian) , Syriac and Ethiopian.
They are spoken by more than 280 million people as a first language , most of whom live in the Middle East and North Africa . Literary Arabic is the official language of 22 countries and it is the liturgical language of Islam since it is the language of the Qur’an , the Islamic Holy Book. Arabic has many different , geographically distributed spoken varieties , some of which are mutually unintelligible . Modern Standard Arabic (also called Literary Arabic) is widely taught in schools, universities, and used in workplaces, government and the media.
The characteristic feature of semitic languages is their basis consonantal roots , mostly triliteral ( three – lettered ) . Variations in shade of meaning are obtained , first by varying of the vowelling of the simple root , and secondly by the addition of prefixes , suffixes and in-fixes . thus from the root salima [ سَلَمَ ] to be saved/ he was saved
Word root | meaning |
سَلَمَ | to be saved/ he was saved |
سَلا مَ | To deliver |
اَسلَمَ | To submit / to turn muslim |
اسَلَمَ | To receive |
استسلم | To surrender |
سلام | peace |
سَلَامَةٌ | Safety/ well-being |
مُسلِمٌ | A muslim |
Word forms derived from the triliteral roots, and retaining the three basic Consonants , are associated with meaning patterns. this is a help in the acquisition of vocabulary and partly compensates for difficulties arising from the lack of correlation between Arabic words and European roots.
There are three distinct forms of Arabic . Classical or Qur’anical Arabic , Formal or Modern Standard Arabic and Spoken or Colloquial Arabic . Classical Arabic is the form of Arabic literally found in the Qur’an. It is used neither in conversation, nor in non-religious writing. As such, Classical Arabic is primarily learned for reading and reciting Islamic religious texts. In order to understand the relationship between Modern Standard Arabic and Spoken Arabic it is important to understand the concept of "diglossia". As defined by the term’s founder, Charles Ferguson , diglossia ( literally meaning "two tongues" ) conveys a situation where , in addition to the primary dialects of a language, there is a highly codified form which is the vehicle of a large and respected body of literature . In addition to Arabic, an example of diglossia can be found in the co-existence of written Latin with the spoken Romance languages of French , Italian , and Spanish . While Modern Standard Arabic is the definitive form of written Arabic there are many spoken Arabic dialects . Modern Standard Arabic provides a universal form of the language that can be understood by all and is commonly used in radio and TV news broadcasts , films , plays , poetry , and conversation between Arabic-speaking people of different dialects .
Arab colloquial dialects are generally only spoken languages. Arabs use the colloquial language in all their daily interactions, but when they encounter a language situation calling for greater formality, Modern Standard Arabic is the medium of choice. In every area of the world where Arabic is spoken, this language situation prevails: there is a colloquial language, meaning the language which is spoken regularly and which Arabic speakers learn as their L1 , and then there is Modern Standard Arabic, based on Classical or Quranic Arabic . Standard Arabic is more or less the same throughout the Arab World , while there are wide differences between the various colloquial dialects . In fact , some of the differences are so large that many dialects are mutually unintelligible . My Palestinian roommate , for example, has told me several times that he can’t understand the Moroccan dialect of colloquial Arabic.
Modern Arabic, both Standard and colloquial, is not static. The colloquialisms have undergone and will likely continue to undergo great change . Unfortunately , until recently they have not been closely studied , and therefore it is difficult to document any changes they may have undergone . It is easier, however , to document changes in Modern Standard Arabic .
One on-going trend in Modern Standard Arabic is modernization . Modernization involves the creation of new terms for concepts which didn’t exist in earlier times. Like many other speakers around the world , Arabic speakers are sensitive to the wholesale borrowing of words . In fact, they are perhaps more sensitive to language change because most Arabs recognize Arabic as the language of God . Such a concept does not accommodate language change well. As a result , normative language academies have been established in several areas throughout the Arab world including Cairo , Damascus , Baghdad , and Amman .
While the first documented record of written Arabic dates from the early 4th century AD, its use in the early 7th century as the language of the Qur’an led Arabic to become the major world language that it is today. As Islam spread throughout the world , its chosen language did as well. Coupled with the rise of Islam , Arabic became the language of government as well as religion. Within 100 years after the introduction of the Qur’an , Arabic became the official language of a world empire whose boundaries stretched from the Oxus River in Central Asia to the Atlantic Ocean , and even northward into the Iberian Peninsula of Europe . As Islam continued to spread through the world , Arabic inherently followed .
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