Arabic

Arabic is a language spoken by millions of people across the Middle East and North Africa. It began in the Arabian Peninsula and later spread to many regions. Today, Arabic is an official language in more than twenty countries. It is also used in religious, cultural, and historical texts.

Arabic belongs to the Semitic language family, which includes Hebrew and Aramaic. Languages in this family share similar sounds and word patterns. Arabic has a long recorded history, with early inscriptions dating back many centuries. Over time, the language developed into different forms used for speech and writing.

One important form is Classical Arabic. This is the language of the Quran, the holy book of Islam. Classical Arabic was used in early religious texts, poetry, and historical records. A modern form called Modern Standard Arabic is used today in books, news, education, and official speech. It is understood across Arabic-speaking countries, even though daily speech may differ.

Spoken Arabic varies by region. These spoken forms are called dialects. A dialect is a local form of a language. Dialects spoken in Egypt, the Levant, the Gulf, and North Africa can sound very different from one another. Because of this, people often use Modern Standard Arabic when communicating across regions.

Arabic is written using its own alphabet, which has 28 letters. It is written from right to left. Letters can change shape depending on their position in a word. Arabic writing is used not only for the Arabic language but also for other languages in the past, such as Persian and Ottoman Turkish.

The spread of Arabic increased greatly after the rise of Islam in the 7th century. As Islamic states expanded, Arabic became the language of government and learning. Many scientific, medical, and mathematical texts were written in Arabic during the medieval period. Today, Arabic remains an important world language with a long and continuous history.