Negation in Arabic - Essay Example

The Arabic language has twenty-eight letters that consist of consonants and vowels. It also has fourteen symbols that function as short vowels and pronunciation markers. The letters are written in variation according to the sound, depending on the placement of the letters in a word viz. at the start, in between, at the end, or in isolation (Online Arabic Tutorial). This contrasts with the English language which has twenty-six distinct alphabets and separate vowels. Also, Arabic is written in running form as compared to English which can be written both in running form as well as in separate alphabets.

A comparison and contrast of Arabic with the English language provides for several interesting as well as challenging issues. The Arabic calendar, although based on the lunar year, has the same number of months as the English calendar and there is also a similarity in the names of the months (Online Arabic Tutorial). But the similarity ends here. Then the language becomes complex with its own set of rules and applications (Edwards, Malcolm).

The language becomes especially linked to its past legacies of literature and folklore. The Arabian Nights is a classic case of the culture and administration that prevailed in the region.

Arabic grammar reflects the rule of its alphabet and vowels on the correct arrangement of words in a sentence. It makes good use of prefixes and suffixes for various purposes such as negation and also for indicating the future. The use of the alphabet depends on where it is placed in the word (Online Arabic Tutorial).

For instance, the letter t (pronounced ta in Arabic) has five variations on the way it is used, depending on its position in the word. The same rule applies to all the other alphabets. The Arabic language is written right to left. However, its numbers are written left to right, just as is done in English and most other languages. The Arabic numerals are based on the Indian numeral system (Online Arabic Tutorial).

The ways texts are written influence various other aspects of written and oral expressions. For instance, if an Arabic student were to make graphs indicating statistics of increasing data, the student will show the data increase from right to left. On the other hand, if the same graph were to be made by an English student, the data will show the increase from left to right (Tversky, Barbara).

There is the use of a suffix to address adjectives, masculine and feminine genders. The possessive pronoun ‘its’ does not exist in Arabic. Depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine, the possessive pronoun is spoken of as male or female. The verb ‘to be’ is understood but not expressed in Arabic. The comparative degree is indicated through the use of adjectives. It does not agree with the gender with its noun but remains fixed in form. Negation in the past tense is done by using a prefix at the beginning of the sentence. Also, the future is formed through the use of a prefix in a sentence. The Arabic language does not have neutral gender. Every noun is either masculine or feminine gender (Online Arabic Tutorial).

The Arabic language has its repertoire of folk tales and idioms to buttress the language. The language is dimensionally set with its own culture and intonations. Direct expressions, proverbs, idioms, graphics, etc enrich the language. There is no neutral gender and the gender of every noun must be learned. It is important to pay attention to the gender of the nouns because the gender of adjectives, pronouns and verbs that refers to them must agree. Even cities have gender (Online Arabic Tutorial).

The language is set with rules that require the crossing of dotting of every t’s and i’s. Names are replete with the use of the name of the Prophet and his relations. Muhammad, Abdullah, Fatima, and Jamila are some of the common names bearing divine attributes. The names and expressions form a rich basis to make the language distinct and special.

It is left to the rhetoric of the speaker to use his creativity to mould the language in the way he wishes to move the people.

Expressions colour a language. Syntax and semantics provide the basis for the creation and existence of a language. Pragmatics provides the speaker with the tools to use syntax and semantics to make his point. The Arabic language is rooted in religion and the pre-eminence of God. The speaker finds it easy to invoke the name of God and move people.

The reason that many new learners of the Arabic language are attracted to the language is that along with the language, he gets to learn the background and culture of the Arabs. The rich and beautiful language construct forms the base of a cultural code that supports the good and meets drastic measures against the wicked.

The socio-cultural pattern seen in the Arab world is a reflection of the language that has evolved through the foundation of Islam. The language is inextricably intertwined with the tenets of Islam. For both the native as well as the new learner, the Arabic language plays a vital role in communication and spiritual upbringing (Zughoul, Muhammad Raji).

The comparison and contrasts of English and Arabic may well lead to divergence as diverse as the Western and Islamic cultures. There may be similarities such as those found in the names of the months of a year. Other than such rare occasions, the dissimilarities are obvious mainly due to the differences in the rules that form the grammar of these two languages.

Nonetheless, the language has its syntax and semantics. The flow of the language and its beauty can be gauged in its literature and poetry.