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Unit 2 · A short script history · Read
A short script history
Separate the writing system from the languages that use it.
Early Arabic writing survives on stone
History and use
Arabic writing developed from Nabataean forms. Some of the earliest inscriptions in a recognisably Arabic script date from the sixth century CE.
6th c.early Arabic inscriptions
7th c.spreads with Islam
7th–8th c.dots and vowel marks settle
Spread with Arabic and Islam
The script spread with Arabic and Islam. Early manuscripts often left out the dots that tell letters apart; dots and vowel marks became regular in the seventh and eighth centuries.
عربيفارسیاردو
Arabic, Persian, Urdu: one script family, different languages
One script, many languages
The script was adapted for Persian, Urdu and many other languages, whose sound values must be learned separately. A letter shared with Persian is not always pronounced the Arabic way.
سلام
salām in Naskh, the everyday print style
Calligraphic styles
Calligraphic styles such as Naskh, Ruqʿa and Kufi share the underlying letters. This course prints in a Naskh-style font; other styles appear later in real-world reading.
Early Arabic writing survives on stone
LernLaterne