Editing Arab world (section)

==Definition==
The linguistic and political denotation inherent in the term ''[[Arab people|Arab]]'' is generally dominant over [[genealogical]] considerations. In Arab states, [[Modern Standard Arabic|Standard Arabic]] is used by the government. Local [[Varieties of Arabic|vernacular languages]] are referred to as ''[[Darija]]'' ({{lang|ar|الدَّارِجَة}} "everyday/colloquial language"<ref>Wehr, Hans: ''Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic'' (2011); Harrell, Richard S.: ''Dictionary of Moroccan Arabic'' (1966)</ref>) in the [[Maghreb]] or ''Aammiyya'' ({{lang|ar|ٱلْعَامِيَّة}} "common language") in the [[Mashreq]]. The majority of the vocabulary in these vernaculars is shared with Standard Arabic; however, some of them also significantly borrow from other languages, such as [[Berber languages|Berber]], [[French language|French]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Italian language|Italian]] in the Maghreb.<ref>Tilmatine Mohand, Substrat et convergences: Le berbére et l'arabe nord-africain (1999), in Estudios de dialectologia norteaafricana y andalusi 4, pp 99–119</ref>

===Standard territorial===
{{main|Arab League}}
Although no globally accepted definition of the Arab world exists,<ref name="Frishkopf"/> all countries that are [[Member states of the Arab League|members]] of the [[Arab League]] are generally acknowledged as being part of the Arab world.<ref name="Frishkopf"/><ref name="Hätinger">Benjamin Hätinger, ''The League of Arab States'', (GRIN Verlag: 2009), p.2.</ref>

The Arab League is a [[regional organisation]] that aims, among other things, to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries and sets out the following definition of an Arab:
{{blockquote|An Arab is a person whose language is Arabic, who lives in an Arab country, and who is in sympathy with the aspirations of the Arab people.<ref>Dwight Fletcher Reynolds, ''Arab folklore'': a handbook, (Greenwood Press: 2007), p.1.</ref>}}

This standard territorial definition is sometimes seen to be inappropriate<ref>Baumann: 8</ref> or problematic,<ref>Deng: 405</ref> and may be supplemented with certain additional elements (see [[#Ancillary linguistic|ancillary linguistic definition]] below).<ref name="Kronholm">Kronholm: 14</ref>

====Member states of the Arab League====
{{Main|Member states of the Arab League}}
{| border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%;"
! style="width:33.33%; text-align:left; vertical-align:top; font-weight:normal;"|
* {{Flag|Algeria}} ({{langx|ar| الجزائر}} ''{{transliteration|ar|al-Jazā’ir}}''): [[Standard Algerian Berber|Berber]] is the second official language (minority)  
* {{Flag|Bahrain}} ({{langx|ar|البحرين}} ''{{transliteration|ar|al-Baḥrayn}}'')
* {{Flag|Comoros}} ({{langx|ar|جزر القمر}} ''{{transliteration|ar|Juzur al-Qumur}}''): [[Comorian language|Comorian]] and [[French language|French]] are the other official languages
* {{Flag|Djibouti}} ({{langx|ar|جيبوتي}} ''{{transliteration|ar|Jībūtī}}''): [[French language|French]] is the other official language
* {{Flag|Egypt}} ({{langx|ar|مصر}} ''{{transliteration|ar|Miṣr}}'')
* {{Flag|Iraq}} ({{langx|ar|العراق}} ''{{transliteration|ar|al-‘irāq}}''): [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]] is the second official language (minority)
! style="width:33.33%; text-align:left; vertical-align:top; font-weight:normal;"|
* {{Flag|Jordan}} ({{langx|ar|الأردن}} ''{{transliteration|ar|al-ʾurdun}}'')
* {{Flag|Kuwait}} ({{langx|ar|الكويت}} ''{{transliteration|ar|al-Kuwayt}}'')
* {{Flag|Lebanon}} ({{langx|ar|لبنان}} ''{{transliteration|ar|Lubnān}}'')
* {{Flag|Libya}} ({{langx|ar|ليبيا}} ''{{transliteration|ar|Lībyā}}'')
* {{Flag|Mauritania}} ({{langx|ar|موريتانيا}} ''{{transliteration|ar|Mūrītānyā}}'')
* {{Flag|Morocco}} ({{langx|ar|المغرب}} ''{{transliteration|ar|al-Maghrib}}''): [[Standard Moroccan Amazigh|Berber]] is the second official language (minority) 
* {{Flag|Oman}} ({{langx|ar|عمان}} ''{{transliteration|ar|‘umān}}'')
* {{Flag|Palestine}} ({{langx|ar|فلسطين}} ''{{transliteration|ar|Filasṭīn}}'')
* {{Flag|Qatar}} ({{langx|ar|قطر}} ''{{transliteration|ar|Qaṭar}}'')
! style="width:33.33%; text-align:left; vertical-align:top; font-weight:normal;"|
* {{Flag|Saudi Arabia}} ({{langx|ar|السعودية}} ''{{transliteration|ar|as-Su‘ūdiyyah}}'')
* {{Flag|Somalia}} ({{langx|ar|الصومال}} ''{{transliteration|ar|aṣ-Ṣūmāl}}''): [[Somali language|Somali]] is the first official language
* {{Flag|Sudan}} ({{langx|ar|السودان}} ''{{transliteration|ar|as-Sūdān}}''): [[English language|English]] is the second official language
* {{flag|Syria|revolution}} ({{langx|ar|سوريا}} ''{{transliteration|ar|Sūriyā}}'')
* {{Flag|Tunisia}} ({{langx|ar|تونس}} ''{{transliteration|ar|Tūnis}}'')
* {{Flag|United Arab Emirates}} ({{langx|ar|الإمارات}} ''{{transliteration|ar|al-ʾimārāt}}'')
* {{Flag|Yemen}}  ({{langx|ar|اليمن}} ''{{transliteration|ar|al-Yaman}}'')
|}

===Ancillary linguistic===
{{Main|Arabic language}}
As an alternative to,<ref>Rejwan: 52</ref> or in combination with,<ref name="Frishkopf">Frishkopf: 61: "No universally accepted definition of 'the Arab world' exists, but it is generally assumed to include the twenty-two countries belonging to the Arab League that have a combined population of about 280 million (Seib 2005, 604). For the purposes of this introduction, this territorial definition is combined with a linguistic one (use of the Arabic language, or its recognition as critical to identity), and thereby extended into multiple diasporas, especially the Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia, West Africa, and Australia."</ref> the standard territorial definition, the Arab world may be defined as consisting of peoples and states united to at least some degree by Arabic language, culture or geographic contiguity,<ref>Sullivan and Ismael: ix</ref> or those states or territories in which the majority of the population speaks Arabic, and thus may also include [[Arab diaspora|populations of the Arab diaspora]].<ref name="Frishkopf"/>

When an ancillary linguistic definition is used in combination with the [[#Standard territorial|standard territorial definition]], various parameters may be applied{{Clarify|this sounds [[WP:OR]]. The language must be changed or a very reliable source added|date=June 2015}} to determine whether a state or territory should be included in this alternative definition of the Arab world. These parameters may be applied{{Clarify|sounds [[WP:OR]]|date=June 2015}} to the states and territories of the Arab League (which constitute the Arab world under the standard definition) and to other states and territories. Typical parameters that may be applied include: whether Arabic is widely spoken; whether Arabic is an official or national language; or whether an Arabic cognate language is widely spoken.
[[File:Arabic Varieties Map-2023.svg|thumb|300px|[[Varieties of Arabic]]]]
While [[Arabic dialects]] are spoken in a number of Arab League states, [[Modern Standard Arabic|Literary Arabic]] is official in all of them. Several states have declared Arabic to be an [[List of countries where Arabic is an official language|official or national language]], although Arabic is not as widely spoken there. As members of the Arab League, however, they are considered part of the Arab world under the standard territorial definition.

[[Somalia]] has two official languages, Arabic and [[Somali language|Somali]], while [[Somaliland]] has three, Arabic, Somali and [[English language|English]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2001-03-02|title=Somaliland Republic : Country Profile|url=http://www.somalilandgov.com/cprofile.htm|access-date=2021-10-13|website=archive.ph|archive-date=2 March 2001|archive-url=https://archive.today/20010302083933/http://www.somalilandgov.com/cprofile.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Both Arabic and Somali belong to the larger [[Afroasiatic languages|Afro-Asiatic]] language family. Although Arabic is widely spoken by many people in the north and urban areas in the south, Somali is the most widely used language, and contains many Arabic [[loan word]]s.<ref>Diana Briton Putman, Mohamood Cabdi Noor, ''The Somalis: their history and culture'', (Center for Applied Linguistics: 1993), p.15.</ref>

Similarly, [[Djibouti]] has two official languages, Arabic and [[French language|French]]. It also has several formally recognized national languages; besides Somali, many people speak [[Afar language|Afar]], which is also an Afro-Asiatic language. The majority of the population speaks Somali and Afar, although Arabic is also widely used for trade and other activities.<ref name="Legum">Colin Legum, ''Africa contemporary record: annual survey and documents'', Volume 13, (Africana Pub. Co.: 1985), p.B-116.</ref>

The [[Comoros]] has three official languages: Arabic, [[Comorian language|Comorian]] and French. Comorian is the most widely spoken language, with Arabic having a religious significance, and French being associated with the educational system.

[[Chad]], [[Eritrea]]<ref name="CIA">[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/eritrea/ Eritrea] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927060149/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/eritrea/ |date=27 September 2021 }}. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].</ref> and [[Israel]] all recognize Arabic as an official or working language, but none of them is a member-state of the Arab League, although both Chad and Eritrea are observer states of the League (with possible future membership) and have large populations of Arabic speakers.

Israel is not a part of the Arab world. By some definitions,<ref name="Kronholm"/><ref>Rinnawi: xvi</ref> [[Arab citizens of Israel]] may concurrently be considered a constituent part of the Arab world.

[[Iran]] has about 1.5 million Arabic speakers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Middle East {{ndash}} Iran |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iran/ |work=[[The World Factbook]] |access-date=24 October 2013 }}</ref> [[Iranian Arabs]] are mainly found in [[Ahvaz]], a southwestern region in the [[Khuzestan Province]]; others inhabit the [[Bushehr Province|Bushehr]] and [[Hormozgan Province|Hormozgan]] provinces and the city of [[Qom]]. [[Mali]] and [[Senegal]] recognize [[Hassaniya]], the Arabic dialect of the [[Moors|Moorish]] ethnic minority, as a [[national language]].<ref name="Hassaniyya">{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=mey |title=Hassaniyya – A language of Mauritania |publisher=Ethnologue.com |access-date=17 October 2011}}</ref> [[Greece]] and [[Cyprus]] also recognize [[Cypriot Maronite Arabic]] under the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]]. Additionally, Malta, though not part of the Arab world, has as its official language [[Maltese language|Maltese]]. The language is grammatically akin to Maghrebi Arabic.