Arabic Varieties
The three distinctive varieties of the Arabic language are Classical
or Qur’anical, Modern Standard and Colloquial or spoken dialects.
Classical Arabic
- Arabic in its purest form, found in the Qur’an or Koran
- Predominantly used for reading and reciting religious text.
- Is not used in everyday conversation.
- Is only used in religious writings.
Modern Standard Arabic
- The official language of the Arabic world used in media, arts, politics
and may understood by those who speak different Arabic dialects.
- Has form not too dissimilar from the classical version
- Main variations are structural and tolerate more flexibility in
usage of the language.
Modern Colloquial Arabic
There are over 30 variations of spoken dialects in the Arab world.
Included in these are the following, according to number of speakers:
Egyptian, Algerian , Moroccan, Sudanese, Levantine, Mesopotamian and
Najdi.
Back to Top |
