Arabic (العربية al-ʿarabiyyah, IPA: [ʔæl.ʕɑrɑˈbiːjɐ], or عربي ʿarabī, [ˈʕɑrɑbiː]) is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. Arabic has more speakers than any other language in the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million[1] people as a first language, most of whom live in the Middle East and North Africa. It is the official language of 22 countries and it is the liturgical language of Islam since it is the language of the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book. Arabic has many different, geographically distributed spoken varieties, some of which are mutually unintelligible.[3] Modern Standard Arabic (sometimes called Literary Arabic) is widely taught in schools, universities, and used in workplaces, government and the media.
Modern Standard Arabic derives from Classical Arabic, the only surviving member of the Old North Arabian dialect group, attested in Pre-Islamic Arabic inscriptions dating back to the 4th century.[4] Classical Arabic has also been a literary language and the liturgical language of Islam since its inception in the 7th century.
Arabic has lent many words to other languages of the Islamic world, like Turkish, Urdu and Persian. During the Middle Ages, Arabic was a major vehicle of culture in Europe, especially in science, mathematics and philosophy. As a result, many European languages have also borrowed many words from it. Arabic influence is seen in Mediterranean languages, particularlySpanish, Portuguese, and Sicilian, owing to both the proximity of European and Arab civilizations and 700 years of Arab rule in the Iberian peninsula (see Al-Andalus).
Arabic has also borrowed words from many languages, including Hebrew, Persian and Syriac in early centuries, Turkish in medieval times and contemporary European languages in modern times. As with some other Semitic languages, the Arabicwriting system is right-to-left.
| Arabic | ||
|---|---|---|
| العربية al-ʿarabiyyah | ||
| al-ʿArabīyah in written Arabic (Naskh script) |  | |
| Pronunciation | [ʔæl.ʕɑrɑˈbiːjɐ] | |
| Spoken in | Primarily in the Arab states of the Middle East and North Africa; liturgical language of Islam. | |
| Total speakers | Approx. 280 million native speakers[1] | |
| Ranking | 5 (native speakers, Ethnologue estimate) | |
| Language family | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Standard forms | ||
| Dialects | ||
| Writing system | Arabic alphabet, Syriac alphabet(Garshuni), Latin Alphabet | |
| Official status | ||
| Official language in | Official language of 26 countries, the third most after English and French[2] | |
| Regulated by |  Algeria: Supreme Council of the Arabic language in Algeria Egypt: Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo Iraq: Iraqi Academy of Sciences Jordan: Jordan Academy of Arabic Libya: Academy of the Arabic Language in Jamahiriya Morocco: Academy of the Arabic Language in Rabat Sudan: Academy of the Arabic Language in Khartoum Syria: Arab Academy of Damascus(the oldest) Tunisia: Beit Al-Hikma Foundation Israel: Academy of the Arabic Language in Israel | |
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1 | ar | |
| ISO 639-2 | ara | |
| ISO 639-3 | ara – Arabic (generic) (see varieties of Arabic for the individual codes) | |
| Linguasphere | – | |
Map of majority Arabic speakers (green) and minority Arabic speakers (light green) Distribution of Arabic as a Majority language in the Arab World | ||
