Language Families and Arabic in the Middle East (Vocabulary Flashcards)

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to language families, scripts, historical language development, and language identity in the Middle East.

Semitic languages

A branch of the Afro-Asiatic family including Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic; characterized by root-based word formation and right-to-left scripts.

Arabic

A Semitic language; official in many Middle Eastern countries; spread with Islam and the Quran; central to government, education, and religion.

Hebrew

A Semitic language revived as a modern language and widely used in Israel; related to Aramaic and Arabic; uses Hebrew script.

Aramaic

An ancient Semitic language; parent to Syriac and influential on Hebrew and Arabic; historically widespread in the Near East.

Syriac

A dialect of Aramaic used by Eastern Christian communities; important in historical linguistic influence in the region.

Proto-Sinaitic script

An early writing system that gave rise to Phoenician, Aramaic, and later alphabets; foundational to the development of many scripts.

Phoenician alphabet

An ancient alphabet that spread around the Mediterranean and influenced later scripts, including Aramaic and eventually Arabic.

Nabatean Aramaic

Aramaic-based script used by the Nabataeans; a transitional stage toward Nabataean Arabic.

Nabataean Arabic

The form of Arabic that developed from Nabataean Aramaic; precursor to the Arabic script.

Nimara inscription

An inscription in Syria showing Nabataean script and the transition toward Arabic writing in late antiquity.

House of Wisdom

Abbasid-era translation center in Baghdad for converting works from Syriac, Hebrew, Greek, and more into Arabic.

Sabaean language

Ancient South Arabian language associated with the kingdom of Sheba; written in the South Arabian script.

Sabaean script

Script used to write South Arabian languages like Sabaean; linked to the broader script lineage influencing later alphabets.

Indo-Iranian languages

A branch of the Indo-European family including Persian (Farsi), Pashto, and Kurdish.

Persian (Farsi)

Main language of Iran; part of the Indo-Iranian group; sometimes called Farsi; borrows words from Arabic.

Pashto

Iranian language spoken in Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan; part of the Indo-Iranian group.

Kurdish

Indo-Iranian language spoken by Kurds across Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey; official in Iraqi Kurdistan; crosses national borders.

Turkish

Turkic language in the Altaic family; official language of Turkey; uses Latin script today.

Uzbek

Turkic language spoken in Uzbekistan; part of the Altaic (Turkic) group.

Kazakh

Turkic language spoken in Kazakhstan; part of the Altaic (Turkic) group.

Altaic (Ural-Altaic) languages

A proposed language family including Turkish, Uzbek, Kazakh; groups of related languages across Eurasia.

Ge’ez (Gez)

Classical Ethiopian Semitic language; associated with Ethiopia/Eritrea; written in Ge’ez script.

Coptic language

Language of Coptic Christians in Egypt; gradually supplanted by Arabic but preserved in liturgy.

Quran

The literal word of God in Classical Arabic; foundational to Arabic prestige and its role in religion and governance.

Classical Arabic

Formal, standardized Arabic used in religious, literary, and official contexts; elevated status due to the Quran.

Salam

Arabic word for peace; a common greeting rooted in the same Semitic root family as other related words.

Shalom

Hebrew word for peace; cognate with Arabic salam and related Semitic roots.

Arabic as official language

Arabic serves as an official language in many Middle Eastern countries (notably excluding Iran and Turkey in some contexts).