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Abu Dhabi: One of the most widely spoken languages in the world, Arabic will be celebrated across the world tomorrow. Marked every year on December 18, Arabic Language Day commemorates the day in 1973 when the United Nations first adopted Arabic as one of its six working languages.
More than 400 million people speak the language across the Arab world. It is the lingua franca of the UAE, and the Arabian Gulf, of the Levantine and a number of African nations. And as the liturgical language of Islam, Arabic is held in high honour by nearly two billion Muslims.
Fluent expats
While native Arabic speakers are found throughout the UAE, many expats are also keen to master the world’s fifth most widely spoken language. In fact, some are so fluent that it would be difficult to set them apart from native speakers.