What languages are spoken in the Arab world?

Long time before the War of Conquests, Arabic speakers existed in many different types and it is difficult to list them all since each country has its own language. Despite this pluralism, the two forms of ancient Arabic, vernacular and classical, still find their use, especially in the traditional culture of the Arabs. Secondly, through the internationalization of certain foreign languages, the language spoken in the Arab world continues to diversify.

The divergence of Arab languages

Due to the fragmentation of the Arab, dialectical and classical states, everyday languages have already diversified between these groups of countries. But from the time of colonization and by mixing with other populations such as: African, Berber, South-Arab and several others, the language spoken in the Arab world has known a large intrusion of those of foreigners. Now, as a legacy of its ancient history, European expressions, such as English, still persist among Arabs, especially in official communication. To this end, the language spoken in the Arab world is very diverse. If you wish to stay or live there, you will need to be proficient in English as a minimum. You can learn English at global-exam.com for example. Eventually, you will be able to take an IELTS exam, which is an internationally oriented certificate. This English exam will allow you to work in English-speaking countries, such as Arab countries.

In Arab countries, languages are inseparable

Since the existence of Arabic, the use of varieties of languages has been one of its particularities both culturally and in terms of relationships, among themselves and with foreigners. Thus, it is impossible to define their mother tongue. This is because, on the one hand, the language spoken in the Arab world differs from one group of countries to another and does not go beyond its original border. Such as the Arabs of the Maghreb countries are not identical with those expressed by the Mashreq, whereas they are all of the dialectal Arabic type. And on the other hand, it is unique in the way that the Koran is indivisible for them.

Foreign languages, Arabs master them better

Apart from dialects of Arabic origin such as Levantine Arabic or Syrian-Lebanese Arabic, the use of foreign languages is also included in the list of languages spoken in the Arab world. They are most often found in the field of administration and education. And just as the use of one's own language varies from one region to another, so does the use of these expressions from other countries. For example, the use of the French language is widespread in Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, Syria, and Tunisia; while the Italian language is used almost exclusively in Lybian. And Spanish is commonly used in northern Morocco.

Arabic, a unifying language

The 22 nations belonging to the Arab League have Arabic as their common official language. A large majority of the population of the Arab world speaks this language. However, several ethnic groups do not have Arabic as their mother tongue. Some Middle Eastern states speak Armenian. People in Yemen and Oman use modern South Arabian dialects to communicate. People living in Iraq and Syria use Neo-Arabic as their dialect. Sudan has an ethnolinguistic diversity that differs from other Arab states. There are 70 different languages spoken in Sudan, belonging to two major African language families. The best known are Fur and Bedawi. After colonization, the Arab states had as a nationalist ideology the unification of peoples. In order to achieve this, they chose standard Arabic to unify the national level and the entire Arab world. It is for this reason that the other languages, some of which are purely oral, are absent from the national political elements. At present, only Berber, which is the official language in Morocco and Algeria, and Kurdish, which is spoken mainly in Iraq, have received official recognition.

Arabic, the most widely spoken Semitic language in the world

Arabic is considered the most widely spoken Semitic language. It far surpasses Amharic. This Afro-Asian language is a Semitic language spoken by hundreds of millions of people belonging to the Arab world and the diaspora. In the seventh century, it became the language of the Koran and the language of Islamic liturgy. The language spread geographically to other non-Arab continents. Today it is considered one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is the official language for more than 20 countries as well as for several international organizations. Arabic is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. It is distinguished by a diglossia between the written and oral vernacular. While literary Arabic includes classical Arabic as well as modern standard Arabic, dialectal Arabic has regional varieties, many of which are intelligible with each other. Islam represents the vector of the cultural influence of Arabic. It is developing through contemporary literature and audiovisual media. Arabic pronunciation is composed of 28 consonants and 5 vowels. The written language specific to all Arabic-speaking countries is modern standard Arabic. It originated in Egypt at the beginning of the 19th century, more precisely with the publication of modern books and the introduction of printing.
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