Why Study Arabic?

Arabic is...

One of the six official languages of the UN.

Spoken by some 250 million people.

The principal language in 22 countries in Africa and the Middle East...

…the Language of the

League of Arab States

Arabic is ranked #4 among the most widely spoken languages in the world.

• Chinese Mandarin 885 million

• Spanish 332

• English 322

• Arabic 235

By 2050, Arabic speakers could outnumber those in English worldwide!

…the Language of Islam

Arabic is the language of Scripture and prayer for 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide.

That includes approximately six million Muslims in the US!

…a Language for Christians Arabic is also the language of Scripture and prayer for some 30 million Christians in Africa and the Middle East.

…for Arab-Americans

Arabic is the mother tongue of some three million people of Arab origin living in the US.

…the fastest-growing spoken language of

study at U.S. colleges and universities.

A survey of the Modern Language Association indicated that the number of students studying Arabic at U.S. colleges climbed 92.3% - to 10,584 – between 1998 and 2002. The number of undergraduate campuses teaching Arabic jumped 48%, to 233.

Arabic Literature

There is a vast body of Arabic literature, both secular and sacred.

In 1988, Egypt’s Naguib Mahfouz became the first Arab-language author to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Business Interests & International Trade

According to the International Trade Commission, in 2007 US exports to the Middle East & North Africa World reached $55.6 billion!

And US imports reached $102 billion!

International Affairs

Diplomatic relations with the Arab world are an important aspect of US foreign policy.

From Arabic to Spanish

Arabic words have made their way into many European languages.

Some 4,000 words in Spanish, mostly nouns, were borrowed from Arabic

• Aceite, Alfombra, Algodon, Arroz, etc.

From Arabic to Spanish to English

From Spanish, many Arabic words passed into other languages, including English:

• admiral, alcohol, algebra, algorithm, almanac

• candy, chemistry, coffee, cotton, crimson

• magazine, mascara, mattress, mocha

• safari, sequin, sherbet, sofa, syrup

• zenith and zero

Arabic Script أ ب ت ث ج ح خ

A number of other languages use or have used a version of the Arabic script.

These include:

• Persian or Farsi (Iran)

• Pashto (Afghanistan, Iran, India)

• Urdu (India & Pakistan)

• Formerly Turkish

The Classification &

History of Arabic

The Classification of Arabic

Arabic is a Semitic language

It is related to languages such as:

Akkadian (ancient Mesopotamian language)

Hebrew & Aramaic

Ethiopic

Semitic Languages

Map of

Semitic

Languages

The History of Arabic تاريخ العربية

Evidence for written Arabic before the advent of Islam is quite limited.

The first inscription in a language recognized as Arabic dates from 328 CE.

Arabic script is probably derived from a cursive form of Nabataean, which is itself derived from Aramaic.

The Origins of

Arabic Script

Some Basic Features of Arabic

An alphabet of 28 letters

Written from right to left

Three long & three short vowels (a, i, u)

Short vowels are not normally written except in:

The Qur’an, Bible, children’s books, dictionaries, etc.

Root and pattern system درس Most verbs and nouns are derived from a 3-letter root

For example from the root D R S come:

• Darasa to study

• Darrasa to teach

• Dars lesson, class

• Madrasa school

• Mudarris teacher

Varieties of Arabic

Classical, Modern Standard & Colloquial

Classical Arabic

The Qur’an represents the greatest example of Classical Arabic and set the standard for the language for centuries.

Diglossia

Modern Arabic is characterized by what is called diglossia.

This means that modern Arabic virtually comprises two languages:

Modern Standard Arabic and Colloquial Arabic.

Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)

Modern Standard Arabic (“fus-Ha”) is derived from Classical Arabic and was developed in the late 19th-early 20th centuries:

To guard the integrity of the Arabic language and preserve it from foreign influences

To adapt the Arabic language to the needs of modern times, especially to express modern political ideas and technological terms

To unite the Arab world under a common language

Modern Standard

Arabic الفصحى

MSA is used for:

Print & electronic media

Formal speeches

TV and radio news

Colloquial Arabic (CA) العامية

CA is the first language of Arabic-speakers.

It’s the everyday dialect.

CA is the ONLY language for many people.

Colloquial Arabic “is the mother

tongue of the Arab & remains

throughout his life the primary

medium of interpersonal

relationships.”

-Mary Catherine Bateson,

Arabic Language Handbook (2003)

Colloquial Arabic

There are over 30 varieties of CA in 5 groups:

North African (Morocco-Libya)

Egyptian (Egypt & the Sudan)

Levantine (Palestine, Leb., Syr. & Jordan)

Arabian (Saudi Arabia & the Gulf States)

Iraqi

They vary tremendously in grammar, vocabulary & pronunciation, even within a single country!

“How are you?”

In Syria, someone may ask: shlonak?

In Egypt, you will hear: izzayak?

In Morocco: kee deir?

Differences may be so great, speakers from two different Arab countries may have to resort to MSA or another language (usually English or French) in order to communicate.

“There can be no doubt that those who want to have a real command of the Arabic language in all situations need to master both varieties.”

– Woidich, Kulla Tamam! (2004)

The Goals of the Arabic Program

at St. Bonaventure University

To introduce students to MSA for:

Reading

• signs, books, newspapers, etc.

Writing

• correspondence, completing forms, etc.

Speaking & Listening

• Formal addresses, news broadcasts, etc.

Introduce students to Colloquial Arabic for:

everyday communication & conversation

But which colloquial?

Primarily Egyptian Colloquial Why?

It’s the most widely understood Colloquial Arabic due to Egyptian TV and movies broadcast throughout the Arab world.

However, through the Institute of International Education (IIE), teaching assistants from the Arab world introduce students to other varieties of Colloquial Arab such as Lebanese and Moroccan Arabic.

It’s time to begin your journey to the

Arabic-speaking world!

Or as we say in Arabic...

Ahlan wa sahlan

“WELCOME!”