The history of Arabic Language

Arabic language is spoken by more than 300 million people around the Middle East, from Morocco to Iraq. As the language of Holy Quran, the book of Islam, it is thought as a first language in Muslim states throughout the world. Arabic language originated in Saudi Arabia in pre-Islamic times, and spread rapidly across the Middle East.

The languages of northern India, Turkey, Iran, Portugal, and Spain are full of words of Arabic origin. Modern Arabic varies a good deal from country to country, differing as much as, say Spanish and Portuguese. However, the classical written Arabic has changed little over the centuries.

Here is a compilation of useful phrases, expressions, and words that I learned from Arabic friends all over the Middle East and from very interesting books. Most of the sounds of Arabic are similar to sounds found in many European languages.

The original Arabic text of the Qur'an has been preserved from the time of its revelation. Translations have been done into various languages, but they all refer back to the original Arabic. In order to fully understand the magnificent words of their Lord, Muslims make every attempt to understand the rich and poetic classical Arabic language.

Since understanding Arabic is so important, most Muslims try to learn at least the basics. Many pursue further study to understand the full text of the Qur'an in its original.

Arabic is written from right to left in its own unique script; Arabic has a simple alphabet that, once learned, is very accurate in conveying the correct pronunciation of each word.

As to the vocabulary, any dictionary will show the wealth of the Arabic tongue in root-words; and any grammar will set forth the almost endless derivative words that can be built, both from the noun and in the verb, from the simple root word. The lexicographer, the late Butros Bustani, used to say: from 7,000 to 13,000 roots, and from 80,000 to 120,000 derivatives.

As to the literature, the number and importance of the works still extant in the Arabic language, on almost every branch of human knowledge, as well as the collection of poems and `belles letters', are so great that one is be wildered by a mere reference to the lists (or fihrists) of the authors and the titles of the books.

The Arabic is a Semitic tongue. To this great family of languages belong:

1. The southern group: North Arabic (or Adanite); South Arabic (or Sabaean or Himyaritic) and Ethiopic (or Geer)

2. The northern group: Canaanaean (Hebrew and Phoenician); Asyrian and Babylonian; and Aramean, comprising Syriac, and many other dialects.

The Arabic, until about the year 650 after Jesus (pbuh), was the speech of the Adnanite tribes. But about 30 years after the flight, it spread, by and through the conquests of the Muslims, over nearly all of the countries that were taken by the Arabs.

The Qahtanite form of Arabic, called Himyaritic, has almost disappeared; and if still spoken, is to be found only among the people of Mahrah, between Hadramaut and Uman. Inscriptions in the Himyaritic character are found on stones and columns in the ruins throughout Hadramaut and Yemen. This character the Arabs call al-khatt-al-musnad. Perhaps it is the language of the lost Arab tribes.

The Quraysh dialect of the Northern Adnanite Arabic Language has, since the Muslim conquests, prevailed over all other forms of Arabic speech.

WRITING:

It is not known exactly at what time writing was first used by the Adnanites. So much is, however, certain, namely that shortly before Islam, the Adnanites used the characters which had been for some time prevalent at Hira among the Arab kings of Iraq.

The Arabian historians say that the one who first `invented' Arabic writing was Muramir, son of Murrah the Anbarite (al Anbar, an ancient town on the Euphrates, ten parassangs north-west of Baghdad); and that he had taken it or modified it from Himyarite Musnad character then in use among the Lakhmites, who were of the southern Qahtanite stock. From Anbar it spread to Hira.

The Arab historians further say that Harb, son of Umayyah, son of Abd Shams, son of Abd Manaf of the Quraysh had gone to Hira, whence he returned to the Hijaz and to Mecca, bringing with him the writing that he had learned.

Others say that the first who wrote Arabic were the Yeminite tribe of Hud, and that the characters they used were Himyarite Musnad, in which each letter stood alone and unjoined, and they did not teach it to the masses, but confined it to the privelaged few; but that at last Muramir, son of Murrah and two others of the tribe of Tayy, learned it; and after modifying it more or less, called it `al jazm', because it was `juzima' or abbreviated, from the Himyarite Musnad character; that these three men then taught it to the people of Anbar, whence it spread throughout Arabia.

After the Muslims conquests and the founding of Busrah and Kufa, this writing was called the Kufic. It was devoid of vowels and dots. These vowels and dots, or diacritical points as they are called in grammar, were first introduced (perhaps in imitation of the Hebrew and Syriac diacritical points) into Arabic writing by al-Aswad-al-Dur-ali during the time of Muawiyah. It is said that the use of dots and double dots was introduced in the days of Abdul-Malik son or Marawan by Nasr son of Asim, to avoid ambiguity.