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With an estimated 420 million Arabic speakers on the planet, 290 million of whom speak it as a native language, Arabic has become the 5th most spoken linguistic group in the world. |
Arabic is an official language in 26 Arabic countries, including the twenty-two countries in the Arab League. |
Every Arab country is a member of the Arab League, totaling 378.2 million people as of 2014. Populous observer states Brazil, India, Venezuela, and Turkey are also members. |
When we consider the number of Arab speakers born or living outside of the Arab world, it’s easy to see how important the Arabic language is, if only from a quantitative viewpoint. |
Learning to speak Arabic – memorizing the Arabic alphabet, Arabic letters, Arabic grammar, etc. – will help learners achieve the following: |
- better pronunciation and oral communication
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- greater linguistic skills
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- improved cognitive abilities due to increased versatility
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- knowledge and understanding of Islam across the globe
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Arabic is very different from English. It is written from right to left for a start, but it also uses a different alphabet and grammatical structure so learning Arabic might take some time. |
Learning Arabic Is Important Due to Its Global Significance
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The Arabic language has been the vehicle for many artistic and scientific advancements such as: |
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- Mathematics: Arabs furthered the study of algebra and geometry. They also translated the works of Aristotle, Archimedes, Pythagoras, and Thales.
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- Poetry and Literature, etc.
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Arabic is also the official language of such international institutions as the UN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab Maghreb Union, and the African Union. |
So, learning to speak Arabic can play an important part in opening up professional opportunities and working in international business! |
With the diffusion of Islam, Arabic became the recognized language of the Quran, saw a rapid expansion throughout its history, and is now present on all continents. |
The Muslim conquest of the Iberian peninsula by the Umayyad Caliphate, the Muslim domination of Europe from the 8th to the 16th century, as well as the rule of the Ottoman empire for several hundred years up to the start of the First World War helped Islam to expand its presence, leaving an indelible mark on the languages and cultures of Europe. |
Science, literature, architecture, music, and Islam were achieving a high level of development in the Arab world just as Christianity was entering the Dark Ages, only to emerge during the Renaissance of the 16th century. |
The Arabic language was the vehicle for avant-garde thinking in literature, philosophy, and science. Greek and Latin philosophical ideas continued to flourish in the great Middle Eastern civilizations through the Arabic language. |
In fact, European languages – French, Spanish, Italian, and English – have been greatly influenced over the past several centuries by the Arabic language and culture. Arabic is not quite so foreign after all.
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