고전아랍어 형성과 그 위상(位相)

The Formation of classical Arabic and its Status

Classical Arabic was originally one of the several dialects spoken by the Quraysh tribe to which the Prophet Muhammad belonged. The influence of the Quraysh dialect became stronger compared to the other tribes' dialects in the Arabian Peninsula thanks to the religious, the economic, and the political influences the Quraysh had. Religiously, the Quraysh had the power to protect the Kaʕba and distribute the water to the pilgrims coming from the various parts of the Peninsula every year. From the economic view, the Quraysh was a trading tribe. They were able to accumulate lots of wealth by the domestic and international trade. Politically, all these religious and economic power brought them the strong political power. After revelation of the Quran in the language of the Quraysh and a period of adjustment and adaptation, the Quraysh dialect emerged at the beginning of the 8th century as the official language of the vast Islamic Empire. Classical Arabic was distinguished by some characteristics. First of all, Classical Arabic was not a language for the ordinary people, but for the aristocracy of the Empire and the religious scholars. The common people still used their traditional dialects. Beside this, Classical Arabic was a language acquired by the education. Arab Muslims has long regarded Arabic as a God-given language and the most eloquent of all languages for expressing the thought and emotion. As long as the Arab believe in the divine nature of Arabic, Arabic will survive and be a real miracle of the future.