The Arabic Language — lisān al-‘arab

Abstract

The Arabic language, a Semitic language, displays the phenomenon known as diglossia or multiglossia (due to the existence of numerous colloquial dialects). A term first coined by Ferguson, diglossia is defined as the coexistence of a high and low variety of a language where the first is used in formal situations and the latter in informal ones. The speaker is said to choose between the two varieties depending on the situation, the audience and the aim. It is necessary to discuss this language situation for two important reasons: firstly, it is implicated in the distinction between the oral and written modes in Arabic; secondly, the question of whether to record oral narratives in the spoken dialect in which they are performed or to translate them into Classical Arabic (CA), is a question that needs to be addressed by anyone who decides to set these oral narratives down on paper. The Arabic language is characterised by a marked opposition between a standard, predominantly written, language known as CA, and a large number of spoken dialects which vary considerably throughout the Arab world. The main distinction between CA and the various dialects is in their respective functions. Throughout the Arabic-speaking world, CA is the language of culture, formal education, reportage, formal media, and of Islam and nationalism.KeywordsWord OrderPersonal NarrativeArabic LanguageDefinite ArticleRelative PronounThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.