The difference between English and Arabic

The difference between English and Arabic

English and Arabic: A Comparative Analysis

Introduction: This article explores the distinctions between the English and Arabic languages, shedding light on their unique features, including their alphabets, phonetics, grammatical structures, and vocabulary.

Arabic Language: Arabic serves as the official language in numerous countries across the Arab world, such as Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, the Emirates, Bahrain, and more. It also holds special significance as the language of the Holy Qur’an, connecting Muslims worldwide, regardless of their nationality or ethnicity. It's worth noting that Arabic's importance extends beyond the Islamic community, attracting non-Muslim scholars and historians due to its profound significance in Islamic culture and history.

While various Arabic dialects exist, a standardized version is used in education and media throughout the Arab world.

English Language: English, originating from the West Germanic languages spoken in medieval England, has evolved over 1,400 years. It incorporates elements from various languages, including Old Norse, Latin, and French. Modern English, developed with the introduction of the printing press, has become a global lingua franca, influencing fields like science, law, navigation, and international politics.

Modern English grammar has shifted from an inflectional and free word order system to one that relies heavily on auxiliary verbs and fixed word order. This transformation facilitates expressing tenses, negatives, and interrogatives.

It's important to note that English is not only one of the most widely spoken languages globally but has also become a lingua franca in various fields beyond those mentioned, including business, technology, and entertainment.

Differences Between English and Arabic:

Alphabet: Arabic consists of 28 consonants and 8 vowels, whereas English has 24 consonants and 22 vowels. Arabic text is read right to left in a cursive style, whereas English is read left to right. Arabic lacks uppercase and lowercase letters, and its punctuation rules are more flexible than English's, which can pose challenges for Arabic learners of English.

Phonetics: English features three times as many vowel sounds as Arabic, leading to difficulties for learners in distinguishing between similar sounds, such as 'ship' and 'sheep,' or 'bad' and 'bed.' Arabic speakers may struggle with differentiating sounds like 'P' and 'B' because these distinctions do not exist in Arabic phonetics.

Grammar: Arabic lacks English's tense and conjugation systems, auxiliary verbs like "to be" in the present tense, and different tenses. This can result in errors like "She good teacher" or "I flying to Egypt tomorrow." Arabic emphasizes the connection between past and present actions, which may lead to incorrect usage of tenses, e.g., "I finished my work. Can you check it?" instead of "I have finished my work. Can you check it?" Additionally, Arabic lacks modals, impacting expressions like "I may be late."

Vocabulary: While there are few similarities between English and Arabic words, some English words, such as "gazelle," have Arabic origins. Conversely, many Arabic words, including "radio," "television," and "computer," stem from English, showcasing linguistic borrowing. English is renowned for its extensive borrowing of words from various languages worldwide.

It's important to note that in the fields of science and technology, many scientific and technical terms are borrowed between languages due to the global nature of these fields. This can help explain why some English words have entered the Arabic language and vice versa.

In conclusion, understanding the differences between English and Arabic is crucial for effective language learning and communication. These disparities encompass the alphabet, phonetics, grammar, and vocabulary, making each language a unique and complex system of communication.

If you want to explore Arabic language lessons further, you can watch instructional videos at link to YouTube channel.

References:
  

  1. Kharma, N., & Groos, J. (1983). A Contrastive Analysis of the Use of Verb Forms in English and Arabic.

  2. Al-Johani, M. H. (1982). English and Arabic Articles: A Contrastive Analysis in Definiteness and Indefiniteness 

  3. Almahameed, Y. (2018). Prepositions in English and Arabic: A Comparative Study.

  1. Al-Marrani, Y. (2009). A Comparative and Contrastive Study of Prepositions in Arabic and English.