Arabiclanguage

Arabic is a Central Semitic language spoken by hundreds of millions across the Arab world and beyond. It belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family. Arabic exists in multiple varieties, with Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as the standardized form used in formal writing and media, derived from Classical Arabic, the language of the Quran. Everyday speech is carried by regional dialects that differ considerably from MSA and from one another.

Major regional varieties include Maghrebi, Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, and Iraqi dialects. Dialects differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar and are often not mutually intelligible. Arabic is characterized by diglossia, where educated speech uses MSA while daily conversation uses a local dialect.

Arabic is written primarily with the Arabic script, an abjad written from right to left. The script has 28 consonant letters; short vowels are indicated with diacritics in some texts but are usually omitted in everyday writing. The script is used for many languages and is central to Islamic calligraphy.

Historically, Classical Arabic emerged in the 6th–7th centuries and spread with Islam, becoming a liturgical language and a standard of high literature. It influenced many languages through loanwords and scholarly exchange. In the modern era, standardization and education policies reinforce MSA as a common written platform while dialects evolve locally.

Arabic is an official language in many countries across the Middle East and North Africa and is widely taught as a second language elsewhere. It serves as a lingua franca in diverse communities and plays a central role in media, education, religion, and literature.