Abstract:
Arabic has been described as one of the great languages of the world that is positively affecting
more than one billion people in the Islamic world. About 800 million people use it as a religious
language and another 300 million use it as their mother tongue. Being the language of the Qur’an,
it is held in high esteem and honour among Muslims. This paper is an attempt to discuss the rich
and deep historical roots and wonderful heritage that extended through centuries to the modern
time and its resulting impact as a cultural component globally. This includes the co-existence of
two forms of the same language, i.e. modern standard Arabic and Colloquial spoken Arabic,
Arabic alphabet and writing system, Arabic grammar and elements of its structure, consonantal
root systems, rudimentary calligraphic systems and how its calligraphic script has affected the
Islamic culture in thought globally. The findings revealed that diglossia exists in every region of
the world where Arabic is being spoken. The two forms which are regional spoken Arabic and the
modern standard Arabic coexists simultaneously. The paper recommends the learning of modern
standard Arabic for its importance in understanding the Qur’an and Hadith and to be a beneficiary
of the invaluable scholarly works from Arabic and Islamic history. This paper harmonizes
information from various resources on Arabic language and its development from classical
Arabic(CA) to Modern Standard Arabic(MSA) concentrating on the major reasons for changes
with the language. Among the findings of this paper is that while some Arabic speakers may find
difficulties in the pronunciation of some specific sounds, others may find it easy without
confronting the same difficulty. In conclusion, the paper ends with speculations concerning the
future of Arabic language
