Wikijunior:Languages/Arabic

What writing system(s) does this language use?

Arabic is a Semitic language written from right to left. Arabic consists of 28 letters: 25 consonants and 3 "long vowels".

There are also what are called "short vowels" (harakat) which are used to show correct pronunciation, for example, the word deen - religion and dayn - owe are normally written exactly the same way (3 letters, D Y N) but to make the pronunciation clear deen can be written with a haraka/accent of a little dash under the D like so /. In dayn it can be written as a little dash (horizontal) above the [D].

The Arabic script is used in many other languages such as Urdu and Farsi. In some of these languages there are added letters (or added dots/slightly different shapes) as in Farsi to compensate for sounds that are not found in the Arabic alphabet.

The characters used in Arabic are as followed, going from right to left, with similar English sounds also listed:

ا ب ت ث ج ح خ د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ك ل م ن ه و ي

a, b, t, th, j, h, kh, d, th, r, z, s, sh, s, d, t, ', gh, f, k, k, l, m, n, h, w, y

There are many sounds for similar sounds, like ت and ط but they are pronounced differently from the English sounds, the different sounds being bolded. Note that the second th is pronounced like though, the ' makes the vowel sound a bit louder and that kh sounds like a h with the tongue's place being at the top.

How many people speak this language?

Arabic is spoken as a first language by more than 280 million people, and as a second language by another 250 million.

Where is this language spoken?

Arabic is spoken across the Middle East, particularly in the Arabian Peninsula, as well as in North Africa, and in portions of Saharan and Sub-Saharan Africa. Since Muslims believe the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, can only truly be read in Arabic, it is fairly common for people in other predominantly Islamic countries to understand religious words in Arabic.

It used to be spoken in what is now Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, and even France, as the early Arabian empires ruled it, called “al-Andalus”, but it broke up into small kingdoms named Taifas multiple times, reunited multiple times, and eventually turned into a small kingdom named Granada, until in 1492, it was conquered to Spain, and later the Muslims who were forced to convert to Christianity were secretly Muslim, all of them were kicked out into North Africa.

It also was spoken in Sicily and parts of south Italy like Bari and Lucerea, but a kingdom named the Normans took the Arabic kingdoms in Italy, forcing them to leave or move to a city named Lucerea. The ones who moved to Lucerea were killed and sold for slavery by the Angevin kingdom of England.

In Crete and Cyprus, Arabic empires ruled the islands, until the Roman Empire conquered the island and forced the Arabic speakers to move, until the Ottoman Empire conquered the land again.

What is the history of this language?

In the third century B.C.E., Nabateans, a tribe of people in Asia, settled near the northern part of the Arabic Peninsula. They spoke a language very similar to Arabic, however they still wrote in an early language called Aramaic, which was itself closely related to Hebrew.

Modern Arabic first truly formed when Arabic and Amharic combined in the mid fourth century C.E. It stood out among other new Semitic Languages for its ability to not be overtaken by other, already existent, languages.

Around the sixth century C.E., Arabic "took over" another language found in the Arabic peninsula, Sabaic, because the chief religious text, the Qur'an, was written and spoken only in Arabic. Although Sabaic exists today as a spoken language, only a small number of people use it.

Who are some famous authors or poets in this language?

The most famous and influential book in Arabic is the holy book of Muslims called "Qur'an", which Muslims believe was revealed to Mohammad over a period of about 23 years. Muslims hold that he was the last messenger of God. The Qur'an, Islam's holy book is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe to be the verbatim word of God (Arabic: الله‎, Allah). It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language.

"One Thousand and One Nights" is a collection of Arabic stories written and adapted over time by many authors. In English this collection is called "Arabian Nights" and includes the stories "Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp," "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," and "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor."

Khalil Gibran was an Arabic writer, poet, and artist that wrote famous poems and books in Arabic and English while living in the United States between 1906 and 1933.

What are some basic words in this language that I can learn?

Ahlan means “Hello” - أﻫﻼ
Keef Halik means "How are you?",but can be used to say "Hello". - كيف حالك
Ma'a salama is used to say “Good-bye”, but has a literal meaning of "Peace be with you." - مع السلامة
Ismee means “My name” - اسمي
Min fad-lak means “Please”- من فضلك
Shook-ran means “Thank you” - شكراً
Man-zil means “house” منزل ,and so does addar. الدّار
Oo-hee-boo-kee means “I love you” - أحبكِ when speaking to a girl or woman.
Oo-hee-boo-ka means “I love you” - أحبكَ when speaking to a boy or man.
Walad means “boy” - ولد
Bint means “girl” - بنت
Kit-ar means "train" قطار
An-ah meen al-jah-zah-eer means "I am from Algeria." -أنا من الجزائر
Hal tah-tah-kah-llam 'ah-rah-bee-yeh? means "do you speak Arabic?" - هل تتكلّم عربي ؟

To introduce yourself you would say: “Ah-lan, an-a ees-mee” (“Hello, my name is”), then your name. - ...أهلا ، أنا اسمي

If you are saying hello to your friend you would say: "Ah-lan ya" then your friend's name. - أهلا يا

To ask someone their name you would say: "Mah ees-mik?" for a girl ما اسمكِ ؟

or "Mah ees-mak?" for a boy ما اسمكَ ؟

To apologize you say:

"Ah-see-fah" for a girl when she says to other girl or to a boy. - أسفه

"Ah-seef" for a boy if he is telling to a boy or to a girl. - أسف

What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language?

Here are some interesting Arabic expressions that you can learn

Arabic	Literal Translation	What it means
احفظ قرشك الأبيض ليومك الأسود	"Save your white penny for your black day."	Save your money for when you really need it.
أعط الخبز لخبازه ولو أكل نصفه	"Give the bread dough to the baker even if he eats half of it."	Give the job to a person who knows how to perform it best even if it will cost you more.
	"Bend a fish while it is (still) fresh/wet."	Children should be given guidance early in life (before it is too late).
سمن على عسل	"Cooking fat on honey."	To be doing very well.
الصديق وقت الضيق	"The friend in tight times."	A friend is the one that lends a hand during times of need.
القرد فى عين أمه غزال	"To his mother's eye a monkey looks like a deer"	A mother always thinks that her child is beautiful.

References

The History of Arabic

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WikiQuote:Arabic

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