MSA is one of the most versatile languages in the world and used by millions of people around the globe. In this article, I talk about MSA and its significance. If you have an interest to dive into the interesting world of MSA, check out my all-in-one MSA online course
ORIGIN
The Arabic language (al-lugha al-a’rabeyyah اللغة العربية) is one of the oldest existing languages on the planet. It is a Semitic language spoken by more than 60 countries and 200 million people.
The modern standard Arabic (MSA) comes as a modernized version of the classical Arabic. It is also spoken in official events, ceremonies and news. So, What makes the Arabic language an amazing one?
MSA is not usually spoken. Instead, Arabs speak different dialects, for example, Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, North-African, etc. Even in a single country people speak different dialects, depending on the geographical location. For instance, people residing in Upper Egypt (towns like Sohaj, Luxor and Aswan) speak different dialects compared to Cairo inhabitants.
Spread
Scholars almost agree that the Arabic tribes first spoke Arabic in the Arabic peninsula long before the emergence of Islam. With the spread of Islam, the Arabic language started to spread all over the world with the growing Islamic empire.
INFLUENCE
Arabic influenced many languages worldwide. Examples of these languages include Portuguese, Spanish, Somali, Swahili, Hindi, and Pashto. How amazing aspect is this about the Arabic language? I talk more about the influence of MSA in my online course
HOW ARABIC IS WRITTEN
The Arabic language is written from right to left. In addition, the letters MUST be connected or else the script will be unreadable. This is a subtle difference from the Roman-or Germanic-origin languages. The Arabic script is also very decorative, where you actually draw instead of writing.
PRESERVATION OF IDENTITY
The Arabic language preserved its identity throughout the centuries. For instance, MSA has still many words from classical Arabic. This is contrary to obsolete languages like Latin. For instance, Italian and French are completely different from Latin, despite the fact that they are languages
VERSATILITY
Arabic is a very versatile language. By versatile, I mean that you can find a substantial amount of words derived from one root. Arabic is very rich in vocabulary and there are many synonyms with different shades of meaning.
Additionally, an interesting Arabic term, “Al-Fasah’a”, means the ability to express powerfully and accurately, that you convey the precise meaning with the minimum amount of words. This also includes choosing words that reflect different meanings as well, hence the word ‘Al-Fusha’.
What else do you know about Arabic and its amazing characteristics?
Now that you know all these facts about Arabic, do not hesitate to start learning this beautiful language with me.
All the best with Arabic, Salam
Hamid