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Language of Kuwait
Language is of special importance to a nation's
evolution. It is the main means of communication among
its society members. It encompasses the entire national
inheritance and culture, and is the main means to view
its past as well as is future.
The naive and official language of Kuwait is Arabic.
Arabic is the largest member of the Semitic branch of
the Afro- Asiatic language family and is closely related
to Hebrew and Aramic. It is spoken throughout the Arab
world and is widely studied and known
throughout
the Islamic world. Arabic has been a literary language
since at least the 6th century and is the liturgical
language of Islam.
Arabic is spoken by
virtually all the Kuwaiti nationals and by many of the
non-Kuwaiti residents of the country. The number of
languages listed for Kuwait is 3. Arabic, Gulf Spoken
(Alternate name: Khaliji), Arabic, Standard, which is
the official language (Used for education, official
purpose) and Mehri (Alternate names: Mahri.) Mehri is
used by scattered individuals in Kuwait.
Kuwaitis speak a dialect of Gulf Arabic that has its own
linguistic characteristics. This dialect is represented
in the everyday colloquial language used among Kuwaitis.
The dialect is very close to formal Arabic, yet, there
are still some differences due to the influence of
other nation's languages and dialects. Modern Standard
Arabic is taught in schools.
The locals are very
enthusiastic Arabic language teachers.
English is also
widely used and spoken
among Kuwait’s many
foreign communities. All traffic signs in Kuwait are
bilingual as are most business and restaurant signs.
English is the second language taught in public schools
in Kuwait beginning at the first grade. English is
also used for commerce purposes.
Hindi, Urdu, Persian (Farsi), and other languages also
are widely spoken among the foreign population.
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