Non Arabic speakers are generally daunted above all by the script and the right-to-left flow of text. Yet the script is in fact the easiest thing about Arabic.
The alphabet contains 28 characters and there are strict rules to determine which characters join on to which, and unlike most European languages, there are no exceptions to these rules. The characters change their shape according to their position within the word but always within the same rules.
Arabic is a Semitic language with a root system. The root of an idea or concept is represented by a simple-verb, usually consisting of three consonants. These verbs are the very basis of the Arabic Language and all variations of meaning around the root idea are expressed by imposing different patterns on the basic verb root, Beyond this, there is the complication that each verb root has up to ten additional forms, all of which change the basic meaning.
Arabic, by the very nature of its structure is an extremely rich language capable of expressing fine shades of meaning, and this is reflected in the wealth of Arabic Literature, especially poetry.
The Average English tabloid reader is said to have a working vocabulary of 3000 words, whereas the Arabic equivalent is said to have about 10,000. There are also many interesting features of the language which hint at the nature and attitude of the Arab mind, notably the existence of only two tenses, perfect and imperfect: there is no future tense.
The written Arabic Language together with Islam is one of the many unifying factors in the Arab World.
