Arabic is a Semitic language that first emerged in the 1st to 4th centuries CE. It is now the lingua franca of the Arab world. It is named after the Arabs, a term initially used to describe peoples living in the area bounded by Mesopotamia in the east and the Anti-Lebanon mountains in the west, in Northwestern Arabia and in the Sinai Peninsula. The ISO assigns language codes to thirty varieties of Arabic, including its standard form, Modern Standard Arabic, which is modernized Classical Arabic. This distinction exists primarily among Western linguists; Arabic speakers themselves generally do not distinguish between Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic, but rather refer to both as al-ʻArabīyat ul-fuṣḥá.
Two weeks ago, 13-year-old Leith Ahmed was busy studying English and Arabic at school in northeastern Syria when a sudden Turkish cross-border attack forced him and his family to run for their lives. Reuters - Published
Russian and Turkish leaders on Tuesday agreed to terms that would allow Ankara's military operations in Syria to continue as a U.S.-brokered cease-fire is set to expire. Zachary Goelman reports.
Lebanon approved an emergency reform package in response to protests over dire economic conditions, but the moves did not persuade demonstrators to leave the streets or investors to halt a plunge in..
After days of nationwide protests, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri and his government partners on Sunday agreed on a package of reforms to ease an economic crisis. Eve Johnson reports.
Iraqi police opened fire on protesters in central Baghdad on Friday, as hundreds gathered to demonstrate against the government. Gracie Jerome reports.
Sudan has launched a women's soccer league, a move that reflects the new transitional government's aspirations for the country and allows female players to push for wider acceptance. Francesca Lynagh..
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group on Monday released hundreds of Yemeni prisoners in a unilateral move the United Nations hoped would help revive a stalled peace process. Ciara Lee reports
A group of students and artists are breathing new life onto the walls of shelled buildings around the Iraqi city of Mosul through painting. Maha Albadrawi reports.
U.S. evangelicals have been a core support base for President Donald Trump since the 2016 election. Many are also staunch supporters of Israel, seeing a biblical connection with the Jewish people and..
Palestinians vow to defy Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to annex the Jordan Valley, saying the land isn't his to hold on to. The Israeli prime minister made the pledge ahead of next week's election. Lucy..
Palestinian families living in hillside caves in the West Bank complain of difficult living conditions at the hands of Jewish settlers and Israeli regulations. They say it's a choice of a cave or a..
Iranian forces seized a foreign oil tanker in the Gulf that was smuggling fuel to Arab states and has detained seven crewmen, Iran's state media reported on Sunday. Reuters - Published
Authorities in the Chinese capital have ordered halal restaurants and food stalls to remove Arabic script and symbols associated with Islam from their signs, part of an expanding national effort to.. Reuters - Published
With Israel's election just over a month away, a Druze former television news anchor is poised to become the first woman from her Arabic-speaking minority to serve in the Israeli parliament. Reuters - Published
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