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Quick-Facts: The Arabic Language

The Arabic Language

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© Copyright 2016-2017 Globalization Partners International. All rights reserved.

This eBook was authored and produced by Globalization Partners International (GPI).

The information provided in this eBook is a combination of curated and contributed content from various sources including:

• GPI Global Bloggers

• http://www.omniglot.com/language/arabic_stats.xls

• AMEinfo.com

• ICAEW

• Nielsen

• CIA

• OPEC

• AlterNet

• Middle East Council

• Wiki

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afroasiatic_languages

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-European_languages

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkic_languages

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Table of ContentsArabic Language Tips and Fact 1

The Arabic Writing System 4

The Arabic Alphabet 4

Middle East Languages and Locales: Essential Facts 5

Fast Facts on Middle East Languages and Locales 5

Approximate Number of Languages and Speakers 5

Resources 7

The Arabic Language

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Arabic Language Tips and Fact

The Arabic language (العربية Al Arabyia, or عربي arabī) is the 4th most widely spoken language in the world. There are 280 million Arabic-speaking people spanning 22 countries around the world with combined economies equaling over trillion USD annually.

Arabic is one of the Semitic languages and is widely used in Arabic countries as a first language. Most Arabic-speaking countries are located in the Middle East, North Africa and the Arabic Gulf area. A total of 22 countries use Arabic as their official language and Arabic is also the liturgical language of Islam.

When considering the Arabic language, one must be aware of the very important distinction made between its written form and its numerous spoken forms. There are three different Arabic dialects or forms: Classical Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic and local dialects (Amya or Darja).

Classical Arabic is the language of “Qur’an” and the liturgical language of Islam and also known as literary language.

Modern Standard Arabic is derived from Classical Arabic and is in current use as the official language for all Arabic countries for government and education. Modern Standard Arabic is used as the intra-country communication language for Arabic publications, newspapers, books, media, television and radio broadcasts across the Arabic world and is understood by educated Arabic speakers.

Arabic local dialects (Colloquial Arabic) make up the spoken languages of people throughout the Arab world. Colloquial Arabic differs from country to country within the Arabic world. In many cases, the different forms of spoken Arabic are mutually unintelligible to one another. For a comprehensive listing of the all the different forms of spoken Arabic, see the following: http://www.omniglot.com/language/arabic_stats.xls

The main groups of local Arabic dialects are:

• Maghreb Arabic

• Egyptian Arabic

• Sudanese Arabic

• Levantine Arabic (Shami)

• Iraqi Arabic

• Gulf Arabic

• Najdi Arabic

• Yemeni Arabic

Note: this map is by Rafy (File:Arab World-Large.PNG) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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Below are some brief but important facts about the larger markets within the Arabic-speaking world

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Capital: AmmanCurrency: Jordanian dinar (JOD)Government Type: Constitutional monarchyPopulation: 6,407,085 (July 2010 est.)Internet Country Code: .joInternet Hosts: 42,412 (2010)Internet Users: 1.5 million (2008)Languages: Arabic language (official)

The United Arab EmiratesCapital: Abu DhabiCurrency: Emirati dirham (AED)Government Type: Federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emiratesPopulation: 4,975,593Note: estimate is based on the results of the 2005 census that included a significantly higher estimate of net immigration of non-citizens than previous estimates (July 2010 est.)Internet Country Code: .aeInternet Hosts: 379,309 (2010)Internet Users: 2.922 million (2008)Languages: Arabic language (official)

You may also check out our resources for more information:- Arabic Website Localization for the UAE- Translation Services in UAE and Dubai

The Kingdom of BahrainCapital: ManamaCurrency: Bahraini dinar (BHD)Government Type: Constitutional hereditary monarchyPopulation: 738,004Note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2010 est.)Internet Country Code: .bhInternet Hosts: 53,944 (2010)Internet Users: 402,900 (2008)Languages: Arabic language (official)

The Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaCapital: RiyadhCurrency: Saudi riyal (SAR)Government Type: MonarchyPopulation: 25,731,776Note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2010 est.)Internet Country Code: .saInternet Hosts: 488,598 (2010)Internet Users: 7.7 million (2008)Languages: Arabic language (official)

The Arab Republic of SyriaCapital: DamascusCurrency: Syrian pound (SYP)Government Type: Republic under military regime since March 1963Population: 22,198,110Note: in addition, about 40,000 people live in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs (18,000 Druze and 2,000 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2010 est.)Internet Country Code: .syInternet Hosts: 8,114 (2010)Internet Users: 3.565 million (2008)Languages: Arabic language (official)

The Arabic Language

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The Republic of IraqCapital: BaghdadCurrency: New Iraqi dinar (NID)Government Type: parliamentary democracyPopulation: 29,671,605 (July 2010 est.)Internet Country Code: .iqInternet Users: 300,000 (2008)Languages: Arabic language (official)

The State of QatarCapital: DohaCurrency: Qatari rial (QAR)Government Type: Traditional monarchyPopulation: 840,926 (July 2010 est.)Internet Country Code: .qaInternet Hosts: 822 (2010)Internet Users: 436,000 (2008)Languages: Arabic language (official)

You may also check out our resources for more information:- Translation Services in Qatar

The State of KuwaitCapital: KuwaitCurrency: Kuwaiti dinar (KD)Government Type: Nominal constitutional monarchyPopulation: 2,789,132Note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2010 est.)Internet Country Code: .kwInternet Hosts: 2,485 (2010)Internet Users: 1 million (2008)Languages: Arabic language (official)

The Republic of LebanonCapital: BeirutCurrency: Lebanese pound (LBP)Government Type: RepublicPopulation: 4,125,247 (July 2010 est.)Internet Country Code: .lbInternet Hosts: 51,451 (2010)Internet Users: 2.19 million (2008)Languages: Arabic language (official)

The Arab Republic of EgyptCapital: CairoCurrency: Egyptian pound (EGP)Government Type: RepublicPopulation: 80,471,869 (July 2010 est.)Internet Country Code: .egInternet Hosts: 187,197 (2010)Internet Users: 11.414 million (2008)

Languages: Arabic language (official)

The Kingdom of MoroccoCapital: RabatCurrency: Moroccan dirham (MAD)Government Type: Constitutional monarchyPopulation: 31,627,428 (July 2010 est.)Internet Country Code: .maInternet Hosts: 277,793 (2010)Internet Users: 10.3 million (2008)Languages: Arabic language (official)

The Republic of YemenCapital: SanaaCurrency: Yemeni rial (YER)Government Type: RepublicPopulation: 23,495,361 (July 2010 est.)Internet Country Code: .yeInternet Hosts: 255 (2010)Internet Users: 370,000 (2008)Languages: Arabic language (official)

Note: These images are from skyrock.com

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The Arabic Writing SystemThe Arabic writing system can be split into two types: Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic. For those wanting to do business in Arabic-speaking markets, the former (Modern Standard Arabic) is the more important of the two, because it is common to all the countries in the Arab world, and is used in newspapers, magazines, books, and government documents. Classical Arabic writing, on the other hand, is used solely for text found in the Qur’an and classical Arabic literature.

The Arabic Alphabet

The Arabic alphabet (أبجدية عربية abjadiyyah arabiyyah) is the script used for writing many languages in different geographical areas.

The alphabet was first used to write texts in Arabic, but since the Qur’an, “the holy book of Islam” and the spread of Islam, it came to be used to write many languages for several language families beside the Arabic Language.

In Asia, the Arabic alphabet is used to write several languages including Persian, Urdu, Pashto, Baloch, Malay, Fulfulde-Pular, Hausa, Brahui (in Pakistan), Kashmiri, Sindhi, Balti, and Panjabi (in Pakistan), Arwi (in Sri Lanka and Southern India), Chinese, Uyghur (in China and Central Asia), Kazakh, Uzbek and Kyrgyz (all in Central Asia), Azerbaijani (in Iran), Kurdish (in Iraq and Iran).

In Africa, the Arabic alphabet is used to write Mandinka in West Africa and Swahili in East Africa.

In Europe, the Arabic alphabet is used to write Belarusian (amongst Belarusian Tatars), Ottoman Turkish, Bosniak (in Bosnia), and Mozarabic.

Check out this online article on the Arabic alphabet for more information.

Below are some of the main features of Modern Standard Arabic writing:

• Words are written from right to left.

• Numbers are written from left to right.

• Depending on where they are placed in a word (beginning, middle, end, or standalone), some Arabic letters will change form.

• The Arabic alphabet is derived from Aramaic script and contains 28 letters.

• Letters are always joined together in Arabic writing (both written and typed) except in very rare cases.

The Arabic Language

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Middle East Languages and Locales: Essential FactsAlthough the Middle East remains an economically, politically, culturally, and religiously sensitive region, due largely to the implications of the Arab Spring in 2011, the potential for growth and gains in the region are becoming stronger.

• Middle East GDP growth is projected at 3.6% for 2014 and 4.2% for 2015.

• Gulf Cooperation Council countries have combined assets in Sovereign Wealth Funds estimated at $2.25 trillion ($975 billion held by UAE and 680 billion held by Saudi Arabia)

• Population of the Middle East is expected to rise by 17.3% between 2014 and 2024.

• Qatar’s GDP per capita is projected to double between 2014 and 2025, due to low cost of producing natural gas and hosting the 2022 football World Cup.

• Egypt posted the single-highest consumer confidence jump of all countries measured by the Nielsen Global Survey of Consumer Confidence & Spending Intention in the 1st quarter of 2014.

• By 2020, economic growth across the region is likely to shift away from the current emphasis on investment towards consumption, a natural sign of a maturing economy.

(Sources: AMEinfo.com, ICAEW, Nielsen)

Fast Facts on Middle East Languages and Locales

• There are 19 countries that make up the Middle East

• 66% of the world’s oil reserves are located in the Middle East

• Political systems include: conservative monarchies, left-leaning dictatorships, conservative autocratic republics, Islamic republics, and parliamentary democracies

• The predominant languages spoken in the Middle East: Arabic, Farsi and Turkish

• There are three primary language families in the Middle East: Afro-Asiatic, Indo-European and Turkic

(Sources: CIA, OPEC, AlterNet, Middle East Council, Wiki)

Approximate Number of Languages and Speakers

• Afro-Asiatic: approximately 250 languages with 290 million speakers in the Middle East.

• Indo-European: approximately 221 languages with 100 millions speakers in the Middle East.

• Turkic: approximately 35 languages with 70 millions speakers in the Middle East.

(Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afroasiatic_languages | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-European_languages | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkic_languages)

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The Arab world consists primarily of the 22 different countries that make up the membership of the League of Arab States. These countries are:

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan The United Arab Emirates

The Kingdom of Bahrain The Republic of Tunisia

The Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria The Republic of Djibouti

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia The Republic of Sudan

The Arab Republic of Syria The Republic of Somalia

The Republic of Iraq The Sultanate of Oman

The State of Palestine The State of Qatar

The Federal Islamic Republic of Comoros The State of Kuwait

The Republic of Lebanon The Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

The Arab Republic of Egypt The Kingdom of Morocco

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania The Republic of Yemen

Note: This map illustrates the primary languages throughout the Middle East.This is by Feabneda (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Arabic Language

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ResourcesTo learn more about languages, translation processes and services, please visit GPI’s Globalization Resources eBook Library at: link here.

Please click below to download other eBooks in GPI’s informative “Quick-Facts” series.