Getting to Know the Arabic Language ©

Getting to Know the Arabic Language ©

A Brief OverviewSusan A. HodgeSeptember 2011

Did you know?Did you know?

• -Arabic is one of the 6 official languages of the United Nations (+ English, French, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish)

• -Arabic is the fourth most widely-spoken language, after English, Spanish, and Chinese

• -number of native speakers: 220-280 million

(Did you know?)(Did you know?)

• There are 3 functional types of Arabic language:– Classical Arabic is the language of the Qur’an,

and is used primarily for reading and reciting Islamic holy text

– Spoken Arabic has 4 regional dialects, but over 30 actual varieties of colloquial (spoken) Arabic around the world

– Modern Standard Arabic is used in the news and on TV—the “common language” used by speakers of different dialects

DialectDialect

• A dialect is a different way of speaking the SAME language to say the SAME thing

• A dialect is not right or wrong, just different

• Can you name a dialect of English?

• Do you think that Rasha, Sami, Yasmin, and Akram speak the same dialect?

(Did you know?)(Did you know?)

Countries where Arabic is the primary spoken language:

Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Palestinian territories in Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian West Bank & Gaza, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

(Classical Arabic is read everywhere that Islam is practiced.)

(Did you know?)(Did you know?)• Speakers of colloquial Arabic from different parts

of the world use dialects and may not understand each other! (They can use Modern Standard Arabic to communicate with each other.)

• Native speakers of Arabic include Muslims, Christians, and people of other faiths…but Arabic is the liturgical (religious) language of Islam.

• Which character in Bayoumi’s book is Christian?

Arabic literatureArabic literature

• Arabic has been a highly developed literary language for over 1,500 years (including poetry).

• Some writers: – Hafiz (poet)– Khalil Gibran (poet)– Mourid Barghouti– Naguib Mahfouz – living novelist from Egypt

(Nobel Prize for literature, 1988)

Words derived from ArabicWords derived from Arabic

• Algebra (al Jabr)• Cipher (sifr, the name for “zero”)• Alcohol (al quhul)• Sugar (sukkar)• Cotton (qutun)• Coffee (kahwa)• Lemon (limon)• Checkmate (shek mat, “the king is dead”)

Characteristics of Arabic languageCharacteristics of Arabic language• Arabic an Afro-Asiatic language of the Semitic group

• Arabic is considered one of the “younger” Semitic languages (4th century)

• As the religious language of the Qur’an (7th century), it expanded rapidly during the rise of Islam in the 8th century

• Can you name another Semitic language?

• … Hebrew … Aramaic

(characteristics of Arabic language)(characteristics of Arabic language)

• Semitic languages share this characteristic: Verbs (and related adjectives) are based on a

group of 3 consonants

• For example: k-t-b : “write”• ‘aktubu = I write katib = writer• maktub = written kuttab = writers• kitab = book maktab = office• kutub = books maktabah = library

Text is written from right to left Text is written from right to left

An Arabic name and an American name – both written in Arabic

An Arabic name and an American name – both written in Arabic

Kareem

Robert

Numbers are also listed from right to left, but a number with meaning is written left to right:

12,345,678,910

(Characteristics of Arabic language)(Characteristics of Arabic language)

• 28 letters (plus variations to make the sounds for /p/ and /g/)

• no distinction between capital and small letters

• Only 3 long vowels (a, i, u)

• Other vowels are indicated by diacritical marks (slashes, small circles, squiggles)

Arabic alphabetArabic alphabet

Letter and its name•    ا aleph•    ب  bet•    ت  taw•    ث  ta’•     ج  gimel• ح heth•     خ ha’•     د dalet•    ذ dal •     ز zayin•     ر resh

Letter and its name•     ز zayin• sin س•     ش shin•     ص tsad•    ض daad •     ط teth•    ظ za’• ayin ع •     غ ghain•     ف pe•     ق Qoph

Arabic alphabet, continuedArabic alphabet, continued

•     ك kaph• lamedh ل•   م mim•    ن  nun•    ه   he• waw  و• yaa ي

Vowels:/a/    ا aleph

/i/ yaa ي

/u/ و   waw

Summary of the alphabetSummary of the alphabet

Diacritical marksDiacritical marks

� م �س� ح�م&ن� ٱلله� ب � ٱلر( ح�يم الر(bismi llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīmi

In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.-Qur’an, (Al-Fatiha 1:1)

(Characteristics of Arabic writing)(Characteristics of Arabic writing)

• Most letters change form and look different when they appear at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word.

• Ex: hā’ h /h/ هـ ـهـ هـ ه

• Sometimes the letters are connected, but not always – it depends.

“M’brook” = “congratulations!”(notice: only some letters connect)

Writing as religious art – Bism’allah(“In the name of God the Merciful the Compassionate”- Qur’an)

Dr. Bayoumi’s book title

“Kaifa tashour wa

ladaika ahnsas

anaka mushkela”

•(Mushkela = problem)

Some commonly used expressionsSome commonly used expressions

• In sha’ Allah = God willing(said seriously or even informally)

• Bism’ Allah= in the name of God (said when beginning a trip, reading, walking, or even eating)

• Alhamdulillah! = Praise to Allah! (said to express satisfaction, even after eating)

Meeting friends, in ArabicMeeting friends, in Arabic• Please: min fadlak (m), fadliki (f)• Thank you: shukran• You’re welcome: afwan

• Hello! (informal) ahlan wa sahlan!• Welcome! Marhaba!• Hello (peace to you): Salaam.

• How are you?: kheif halak? (m), haliki (f)• I’m very well: ana bekhair• And you? Wa anta? (m), anti (f)

Now, meet the person next to you!Now, meet the person next to you!

A: What is your name? ma ismuk? (m), ismuki? (f)B: My name is ___ ismee _____

A: I live in _____ askun fi __________B: I am a student ana talib (m), ana taliba (f)

Both: Good bye! Ma’a salaama (peace with you)

SourcesSources

Contact Susan Hodge at: shodge@uscupstate.edu if you would like a list of websites for further

investigation, or a copy of these slides.

Special thanks to my teachers: Dr. Mirko Hall (Converse College)Mrs. Laila Miraziz (USC Upstate)

and to Mr. John Miraziz

Shukran jiddan! (Thank you very much!)