Religion, calligraphy, nationalism, diglossia, bilingualism, illiteracy.
Differences in MENA and The Arab World
1. Persian/Farcee is written in Arabic script. Urdu. 2. Muslim does not mean Arab. 3. Turkey/Afghanistan/Iran/Pakistan
Only 20% of 1.8 billion Muslim are Arab. Indonesia has more Muslims than the rest of the world.
10% of Arabs are Christian.
Kurds are Muslims that do not speak Arabic. They want their language to be official. Amazigh became official in 2011.
Some Christians support Arabic language.
335 million people in the Arab World. 5% of world pop.
Arabic is present in non-speaking countries. It is in other languages as words and the script.
Africans speak Arabic for trade purposes.
Turkey switched from Arabic to Latin script in 1929.
300 million people speak Arabic.
Arabic is the language of the Quran.
English words from Arabic
* Admiral, alchemy, alcohol, algebra, algorithm, almanac, arsenal, lemon, lute, sugar, cotton
Languages influenced by Arabic
* Berber, kurdish, persian, spanish, portuguese, catalan, swahili(East Africa), urdu, hindi, hausa(West Africa), punjabi, turkish, malay
Arabic is a Semitic Language (SL are spoken in the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa.)
One of the oldest languages.
Unique characteristics (phonology, morphology, syntax)
Arabic Script: 28 letters. Second-most widely used alphabet around the world.
Arabic is a diglossic language (There are two varieties: FusHa & Amiyya/Darja)
The Arabian Peninsula
Social Structure: Importance of the tribe.
Social values: loyalty, hospitality, freedom, courage, honor, pride.
Language: poetry as the highest form of language. Poetry reflects those values.
Arabic grammar used two sources : Quran and Poetry
Day 2
Pre-Islamic Poetry: The poet was the spokesman, leader, and oracle for the tribe; a master of satire and praise; a guide in peace, and a champion in war. His words "flew across the desert faster