Facts About the Language of Science
No one can possibly ignore the role that the Arabic language plays in the science of Linguistics and rhetoric, considering that it is one of the widely known Semitic languages. However, the estimated percentage of Arabic content on the internet would only be about 3%, making it the least proportion of the total global content.
In an initiative to draw attention to the importance of the Arabic language, its historical value and its contribution to scientific development, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization “UNESCO” dedicated an annual, World Arabic Language day on the 18th of December, under the slogan “The Arabic Language and Science.”
On that occasion, here are some facts and information that you may not know about the Arabic language:
- The Arabic language is the 6th language of the United Nations
- Arabic has a total vocabulary of 12.3 million words while English has only 600k words
- The Arabic Language is called “The Language of Ḍād, because It is the only one that has the letter ض .
- Original speakers of the language come from the Arab world, Turkey, Iran, Chad, Mali, Eritrea.
- It is the first language of Arab countries, the second language of Eritrea, Chad and Israel.
- The Arabic language has influenced other languages such as Turkish, Persian, Kurdish, French, Spanish and others.
- The Arabic language is spoken by more than 422 million people worldwide.
- The letters of the Arabic language are used by other languages such as Persian, Kurdish, Turkish and Malay in the past.
- The Arabic language has 16 thousand linguistic roots compared to the Latin language which has 700 linguistic roots.
- It is the language of the holy Quran and acts of worship of all the Muslims worldwide.
The Arabic language is a main language of communication but unfortunately it has recently shifted from being an essential language into a language that translated what is recounted by other languages. Therefore, a great emphasize should be placed on the importance of following strategies that are needed to maintain classic Arabic in exchange for the widespread use of local vernacular dialects, and the Arabic language written using Latin letters. It is a necessity to develop national strategies in each Arab country for Arabic content in the era of digital developments, encourage the establishment of an Arab electronic platform common to exchange ideas, experiences and insights, and finally provide tips for customers to create, develop and enhance Arabic content specifically on websites and social networking sites.