ARABIC LANGUAGE AS A SEMIC LANGUAGE

1. Name some of the Semitic languages.

Phonecian, Assyrian, Hebrew, Syriac/Aramaic,
Arabic
2. Where does the word “Semitic” derive from and who
used the term first and when?
The word Semitic is derived from Shem/Sam, the
name of one of the sons of Prophet Nuh (AS), who is
the father of the Semitic people. It was first used by a
German Professor August Ludwig Schlozer in 1781.
3. Who was the first to point out the similarities
between Arabic, Hebrew and Syriac?
The similarities were pointed out by Ibn Hazm, an
Andalusian from Muslim Spain over one thousand
years ago.
4. On what basis did the linguists divide languages into
families?
Linguists, or language scientists divide languages into
families based on structural relations and interrelation
in the history of their evolution.
5. What is meant by Proto –Semitic?
Proto-Semitic or “Ursemitisch” is the parent language
from which all Semitic languages were derived.
6. Where did the Proto-Semitic originate from?
Although no one knows the exact location, many
linguists suggest Africa, lower Euphrates and
Armenia, but Arabia is the majority opinion.
7. What languages are among Hamitic languages
Old Egyptian, Old Libyan, Berber, Fula, Hausa and
Cushitic languages like Somali, Galla, Southern
Sudanese, etc.
8. What Semitic language is the youngest language?
Arabic is the youngest Semitic language, but it bears
the closest resemblance to Ursemitisch.

THE ROLE OF ARABIC IN THE MODRN AGE

9. According to linguists how many types of Arabic
Language are there?
According to linguists, there are many types of
Arabic languages. The Northern Arabic languages
include the extinct Lihyanite and Thamudic, as well
as the Arabic in discussion today. The Southern
Arabic languages are Mihri and Soqotri which are
spoken by handful of people in South Arabia. The
Modern Arabic also has many dialects and
subdialects, as well as derivatives.
10. What are the differences between classical Arabic,
Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and colloquial
Arabic?
Classical Arabic, or Al Arabiyya Al Fusha, (also called
the literary, standard, or written Arabic) is highly
uniform and used the official language for formal
matters.
Colloquial Arabic (also called the everyday or spoken
Arabic) is different not only for each state but also
for each area within the state.
Modern Standard Arabic is the newly evolved
variety, which takes a middle ground between the
two extremes of Classical and Colloquial.
11. When did Arabic become an international
language and why?
Arabic was declared an international language in
1973. It is also the only language of the six to be an
international language two times. This status was
achieved because Arabic was used to bring Greek
and Latin philosophy to modern Europe and is
spoken by more than 440 million people worldwide,
who influence world economy and development
plans through various funds. Arabia’s situation at the
 crossroads of three continents and as the cradle of
ancient civilizations also contributed to this.

DIGLOSSIA IN ARABIC

12. Define Diglossia and spectroglossia.

Diglossia is a sociolinguistic term used to define the
situation of a language when 2 variations co-exist
simultaneously, with each having its own specific
function. This is observed in Greek, Swiss German
and Arabic. The two variations of Arabic are the
Standard and Colloquial forms.
Spectroglossia is the sociolinguistic study of language
and society, and the interrelation between them. It is
used to define the state of the Arabic language as a
continuum criss crossed by jargon and sub divisions,
rather than diglossia or triglossia.