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How Old Is The Arabic Language

How Old Is The Arabic Language, Why Arabic Is Still Popular and Strong

Do you have at least some idea what number of dialects are spoken all over the planet?

It goes far beyond 100!

It goes far beyond 1,000!

You would be right to guess 7,151 languages.

The amazing part begins here! Only 23 of those more than 7000 languages are spoken by half of the world's population!

40% of the dialects on the planet are imperiled.

A language must be threatened if less than one thousand people worldwide speak it. However, Arabic is not in any way threatened.

Arabic is spoken by roughly 290 million people worldwide and is the official language of 28 nations. It is the fifth most communicated in language on the planet, and that may be a result of how old the Arabic language is.

How Old Is The Arabic Language
How Old Is The Arabic Language

How Old is the Arabic language?

One of the world's oldest languages, Arabic is still widely spoken today. However, the query remains: How long has Arabic been spoken?

Historians continue to debate the issue because there is no definitive answer.

That is a good sign that it is older. However, the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the UAE University in Al Ain, Al Hasan Al Naboodah, claims that “Some say Arabic script originated from Al Hirah (Mesopotamia between the fourth and seventh centuries B.C.) in the north, while others claim it came from Himyar (110 BC to AD 525 ) in the south of Arabia.” 

One thing is certain: the Quran was written in Arabic more than 1,450 years ago. So the Arabic language needed to have been deeply grounded in the locale as of now.

If you want a more specific response to the question "how old is the Arabic language?" Between 2000 and 2500 years old is a safe guess.

The Arabic Quran

Non-Arabic-speaking Muslims have memorized the entire Quran ever since it was first revealed. Although they are unfamiliar with the language's meaning, 25% of the world's population is familiar with Arabic letters and words. Each Muslim must learn enough Arabic to pray five times a day, and there are approximately 1.97 billion Muslims worldwide. 

No big surprise there is a World Arabic Language Day!

What is World Arabic Language Day?

Arabic became the sixth official working language of the United Nations General Assembly on December 18, 1973. As a result, on December 18th, 2010, the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established World Arabic Language Day. Celebrating multilingualism and cultural diversity was their intention. Additionally, they wanted to encourage the organization's use of six of its official working languages—Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, and Arabic. 

Types of Arabic to Learn

There are three main types of Arabic learning:

  1. Verbal (typically based on the country's dialect) 
  2. Phonetically based reading outside of language comprehension (learning the Quran) 
  3. Complete comprehension of classical Arabic (Fusha): comprehension, writing, speaking, and reading

Like anything else, learning about any category takes time. However, learning the Quran is an exception. People who have learned the Quran will tell you that they cannot memorize anything as easily. They learn sounds and letters much more quickly than other languages.

“And indeed We have made the Qur’an easy for seeking advice. So, is there one to seek advice?” (Quran 54:40)

It remains to be seen how old the Arabic language is. However, we are aware that it is one of the oldest languages spoken worldwide!

Most importantly, it is the Quranic language. It's worth celebrating that Allah, our Creator, chose this language for us!

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