If you’re thinking about learning a language it’s always good to know a little about the origins and history of the language you are learning. Here, Cactus Language offers up our most interesting Arabic language facts:
The Arabic language originates from the Arabian Peninsula. As the Muslim World expanded, Arabic spread into North Africa and Western Asia.
Arabic is an official language in 26 countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Israel (along with Hebrew), Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the UAE, making it the fifth most spoken language in the world.
Arabic has influenced a great number of languages, including most European languages as well as Asian and African languages. English has many Arabic loanwords such as alcohol, algebra, algorithm, average, candy, caravan, cotton, giraffe, guitar, jar, lemon, lilac, magazine, sugar and talisman.
Each word for “love” describes specific stages of falling in love. For example, “hawa” describes the initial attraction towards someone, “huyum” the loss of reason that follows, and “ishq” a blind desire.
Arabic and Hebrew are both Semitic languages. Their similarities make it easier for Arabic speakers to learn Hebrew, and vice versa.
The Arabic alphabet uses quotation marks for emphasis instead of capital letters.
Some non-native speakers find it difficult to pronounce words in Arabic, due to the some of the sounds being uncommon in other widely spoken languages. For instance, ‘ح’ is a ‘h’ sound that is only found in Arabic.
Unlike many other widely used languages, Arabic words are written from right to left, and Arabic numbers are written from left to right.
An excellent way to improve your Arabic language skills is by taking a group Arabic language course with Cactus. We offer Arabic languages courses online and face-to-face in over 10 locations across the UK.
Cactus offers a range of options for Arabic private tuition. You can choose one-to-one classes if you prefer online and tailored Arabic lessons that suit your schedule and location. For more information please visit our private tuition and corporate language training division.
An excellent way to improve your language skills is by taking an Arabic immersive language course in the country where the language is spoken. Cactus offers courses in many locations from Jordan to Morocco.