Arabic, Standard

A language of Saudi Arabia

ISO 639-3

arb

Alternate Names

Al-’Arabiyya, Al-Fusha, Literary Arabic

Population

206,000,000 L1 speakers of all Arabic varieties (Wiesenfeld 1999).

Location

Widespread.

Language Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1992, Basic Law, Article 1).

Classification

Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic

Dialects

Modern Standard Arabic (Modern Literary Arabic), Classical Arabic (Koranic Arabic, Quranic Arabic). Preserves the ancient grammar. A member of macrolanguage Arabic [ara].

Typology

VSO; prepositions; noun head initial; gender (masculine/feminine); dual number; definite and indefinite affixes; case-marking (3 cases); verb affixes mark number, gender of subject; aspect; 28 consonant and 6 vowel phonemes; non-tonal; stress on first syllable; triliteral roots, few affixes.

Language Use

Not an L1. In most Arab countries only the well-educated have adequate proficiency in modern Standard Arabic. Education, official purposes, written materials, and formal speeches. Classical Arabic, with archaic vocabulary, is used for religion and ceremonial purposes.

Language Development

Fully developed. Bible: 1865–2008.

Language Resources

OLAC resources in and about Arabic, Standard

Writing

Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab], primary usage. Braille script [Brai].

Other Comments

Modern Standard Arabic is modernized Classical Arabic.

Also spoken in:

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Algeria

Language nameArabic, Standard

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1996, Constitution, Article 3).

Language Use

Not an L1. Written materials, formal speeches.

Language Development

Taught in primary schools.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Algeria

Bahrain

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (2002, Constitution, Article 2).

Language Use

Education, official purposes.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Bahrain

Chad

Language nameArabic, Standard

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1996, Constitution, Article 9).

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Chad

Comoros

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (2001, Constitution, Article 1).

Language Use

Not a L1.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Comoros

Djibouti

Language nameArabic, Standard

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1992, Constitution, Article 1).

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Djibouti

Egypt

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1971, Constitution, Article 2).

Language Use

Not an L1. Nearly all written materials and formal speeches.

Language Development

Taught in primary schools.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Egypt

Eritrea

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). De facto national language.

Language Use

Media, literature, government, religion. All ages. Positive attitudes.

Language Development

Taught in primary and secondary schools.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Eritrea

Iraq

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (2005, Constitution, Article 4(1)).

Language Use

Education, official purposes.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Iraq

Israel

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1922, Palestine Order in Council, Article 82, 10 October).

Language Use

Education and communication among Arabic-speaking countries.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Israel

Jordan

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1952, Constitution, Article 2).

Language Use

Use promoted for students. Regional varieties used less in schools. Official purposes, print publications, communication in Arabic-speaking countries.

Language Development

Taught in primary schools.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Jordan

Kuwait

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1962, Constitution, Article 3).

Language Use

Education, official purposes.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Kuwait

Lebanon

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1943, Constitution, Article 11).

Language Use

Education, print publications, official purposes, communication among Arabic speaking countries.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Lebanon

Libya

Language nameArabic, Standard

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (2011, Constitutional Declaration, Article 1).

Language Use

Not an L1. Nearly all written materials, formal speeches.

Language Development

Taught in primary schools.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Libya

Mauritania

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1991, Constitution, Article 6).

Language Use

Education, official purposes, formal speeches.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Mauritania

Morocco

Language nameArabic, Standard

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (2011, Constitution, Article 5).

Language Use

Education, official purposes, communication among Arabic-speaking countries.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Morocco

Oman

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1996, Basic Law, Article 3).

Language Use

Education, official purposes, formal speeches.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Oman

Palestine

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). De facto national language.

Language Use

Education, official purpose, formal speeches.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Palestine

Qatar

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (2003, Constitution, Article 1).

Language Use

Education, official purposes, formal speeches.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Qatar

Somalia

Language nameArabic, Standard

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (2004, Transitional Federal Charter, Article 7(1)).

Language Use

Most Somalis very limited or no proficiency in Arabic.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Somalia

Sudan

Language nameArabic, Standard

Status

1 (National). Statutory national working language (2005, Interim Constitution, Article 8(3)).

Language Use

Not L1, but taught in schools. Written materials and formal speeches.

Language Development

Taught in primary and secondary schools.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous. Not intelligible with Sudanese Spoken Arabic [apd] or Sudanese Creole Arabic [pga].

View other languages of Sudan

Syria

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1973, Constitution, Article 4).

Language Use

Education, print publications, official purposes, formal speeches.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Syria

Tanzania

Language nameArabic, Standard

Population

No known L1 speakers in Tanzania.

Status

9 (Dormant).

Language Use

Liturgical language only. Mosques, Islamic schools.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Tanzania

Tunisia

Language nameArabic, Standard

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1959, Constitution, Article 1).

Language Use

Not an L1. Written materials and formal speeches.

Language Development

Taught in primary schools.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Tunisia

United Arab Emirates

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread.

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1996, Constitution, Article 7).

Language Use

Education, official purposes, formal speeches.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of United Arab Emirates

Western Sahara

Language nameArabic, Standard

Status

1 (National). De facto national language.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Western Sahara

Yemen

Language nameArabic, Standard

Location

Widespread; chiefly in education.

Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1991, Constitution, Article 2).

Language Use

Education, official purposes, formal speeches.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous.

View other languages of Yemen

Ethnologue

Arabic, Standard

Primary tabs

A language of Saudi Arabia

Also spoken in:

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