Learning Arabic is easier now than ever before but it is still a difficult language for English speakers to grasp as quickly as other European languages. There are numerous Internet resources available, and also many language programs online which help with pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and indeed in some cases do quite a good job of simulating immersion and context, which is the best way to learn any language, including Arabic.
For English speakers especially, there are some challenges. There is a high incidence of guttural sounds, which is very different to the Romance and Germanic languages. Sounds in Arabic are totally different. That is balanced, and more than balanced, by the fact that Arabic only has two verb tenses, and very few grammar rules to master.
The word alcohol comes from Arabic, which certainly surprised me, and many other words, like elixir, algebra, and magazine, can also be traced to Arabic.
Like Hebrew, written Arabic moves from right to left on the page. The Modern Standard Arabic language is also the language of Islam, and it is spreading throughout the world as Islam spreads as a world religion, to most countries in Europe and elsewhere. As the language becomes more widespread, both geographically and in terms of the number of people who speak it, the benefits of learning it increase.
Deriving from the Semetic language group, Arabic is a language with an incredible history. Dating back to Mohammed and the 7th century, it is now spoken in over 20 countries with 195 million people speaking Arabic as their first language, and another 35 million plus speaking it as their second language.
Even though written Arabic is quite standardized, there are huge variations in local spoken dialects.
As Arabic in spoken form has wonderful rhythm and a harmonic flavor, it suits perfectly the wonderful poetry and literature that is part of a vast collection of works in the language. Written records began in the 7th century, with generation to generation verbal pass-down before that. Because of the rhythmic nature of the language, much of the prose is written in verse form.
There are 28 consonants in Modern Standard Arabic. Vowels come in both long and short form, but there are only three in total in Arabic.
Because the Koran was revealed to their prophet via Arabic, the language is viewed as sacred among the Muslim community. And that is the reason why Arabic has emerged as the biggest Semitic language.
There are many reasons why one would want to learn Arabic. Instead of being put off by pronunciations which seem challenging and do require significant effort be excited about the benefits of a great perspective and wonderful insights into an early civilization and its incredible history. This will make you want to put the effort into mastering Arabic, which is totally possible with some practice.
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