ABSTRACT
The Arabic branch of Semitic forms part of the West Semitic language group. It is grouped alongside Northwest Semitic and Ancient South Arabian as Central Semitic. In addition, Arabic together with Ancient South Arabian has participated in two linguistic areas, one with Canaanite and Aramaic, the other with Modern South Arabian and Ethiopian, explaining certain linguistic features shared between these branches. The different varieties of Arabic dating from the time prior to the establishment of the Classical standard are referred to as Old Arabic. Arabic was long regarded as the language of the extant pre- and Early Islamic, orally transmitted literary corpora. These comprise pre-Islamic poetry, the ‘tales of the ancient Arabs’, the Qurran and the reports concerning Muhammad and the early Muslim community. According to a different model prevalent in Western academia, the language of the literary Old Arabic corpora is defined as pre-Classical Arabic.
