Latin vs. Arabic Alphabet: Key Differences

Many languages have some similarities that make it easier for ambitious students to become polylingual. However, English-speaking students often struggle with learning eastern languages such as Arabic or Hindi. This is because western languages such as English and Spanish are based on the Latin alphabet while eastern languages are often based on the Arabic alphabet. 

For students who wish to learn a new language such as Arabic or Hindi, they will first need to become familiar with the differences between these two lettering systems and how they affect the structure of the languages.  

The following are some of the main differences between Arabic and Latin Alphabets.

Various Language Groups

Arabic is among the Afro-Asiatic language family and belongs to the Semitic languages group. 

Latin (lingua Latina) is an Indo-European language that belongs to the Italic branch. Italic speakers did not originate in Italy. In the second millennium BC, they traveled to the Italian Peninsula. 

Arabic And Latin Text

Each letter depends on its arrangement in the Latin alphabet’s word-initial, medial, and final. Short vowels and certain grammatical ends occasionally embody a set of diacritical markings otherwise left unmarked. The letter takes on the fourth form when written alone.

Arabic is written from right to left, which implies the letters are connected in a flowing pattern while writing a word, generally to make writing faster. In contrast to the Latin alphabet, the Arabic alphabet does not employ upper or lowercase letters.

Vowels

Latin had five short vowel phonemes and five long vowel phonemes, or sounds that differentiate the meaning of words. The length of a vowel impacts the definition of a word. The five diphthongs were /ae, oe, ui, au, EU/.

There were seven vowels in Vulgar Latin, with vowel length linked to stress.

In Arabic, there are six standard vowels and two uncommon vowels. These vowels, on the other hand, have a unique sound.

Consonants

The seventeen basic consonants are B, c, d, f, g, h, j, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, x. Three letters exclusively appear in foreign borrowings: two consonants (k, z) and one vowel (y). 

Two consonant clusters appear at the beginning of Arabic words, while three are not. Three or four consonant clusters in Arabic words cannot follow each other. 

Stress

In Latin words, the penultimate or next-to-last syllable receives the most emphasis. If the penultimate syllable is short, the antepenultimate syllable bears the brunt of the stress.

Word stress is everything in Arabic. However, a change in stress does not affect the word’s meaning. The distinction is only noticeable when using the term with a different short vowel.

Latin is a highly inflected language with many word order options. The most straightforward technique to become fluent in writing Arabic and Latin letters is to keep practicing the shapes of each letter until you have mastered the languages completely. It’s easier to master the Arabic alphabet than you would believe. Once you grasp a few fundamentals, you are good to go.

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