DUBAI: The languages of Arabic and Hebrew have a lot more in common than you might think. They are both of Semitic origin, they share some letters of the alphabet and some Hebrew and Arabic words are the same, among other things.
Based on these similarities, The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre hosted a virtual seminar that explored the similarities between the Semitic languages of Arabic, Hebrew and Syriac, and the close ties that have brought these languages together through the ages.
Titled “The Arabic Language and its Semitic Sisters: A Story of Understanding and Human Fraternity,” the virtual seminar took place on the first-ever International Day of Human Fraternity, and was presented by Dr. Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre and Secretary-General of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award; Dr. Jimmy Daccache, Professor of Western Semitic Languages at Yale University; Dr. Brigitte Caland, Professor of Hebrew Studies at the American University of Beirut; and Dr. Yahya Ababneh, Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at Yarmouk University.