The Arabic language descends from the Afro-asiatic branch of the Semitic language tree. As many Semitic languages do, Arabic builds up words using semantic bases composed by sequences of two letters. Syntax is characterized by Protosemitic-like declensions, which is quite a conservative aspect of this language. Arabic phonological system owns a scarce number of vowels, […]
For sure, Swahili is so popular a language among African ones spoken outside the Continent that a certain abuse of it is even made by Hollywood films. Swahili is the most nearly studied among African Diaspora languages to the extent that some of its terms have become quite common in Western Countries: I can’t believe […]
As the birthplace of humanity and the birthplace of human language, it is no wonder that Africa is the most linguistically diverse continent in the world, home to some two thousand extant languages, most identified with distinct ethnic groups. Of these, the continuum of languages or dialects collectively known as Mandingo has a unique history […]
“Darija” is the blanket term for Arabic dialects spoken in the Maghreb region of North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya). Darija is strictly used for oral colloquial communication, while Modern Standard Arabic is employed for written communication, official/government correspondence and news broadcasting. Modern Standard Arabic is characterized by its complex grammatical rules and abundant […]
There are approximately 6,912 living languages in the world today. Most languages belong to larger language groups or families, which is a group of similar or related languages that developed from a common ancestor, referred to as protolanguage (“proto” means “early” in Greek). Let’s take a look at a few major language groups, including an […]
