(U-1:)A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ARABIC AND HEBREW: A HISTORICAL AND RESEARCH-BASED PERSPECTIVE

عربی اور عبرانی زبانوں کا باہمی تقابلہ:تاریخی و تحقیقی تناظر میں

Abstract

This research paper explores two interconnected theses on the role of language in national formation and linguistic antiquity. The first thesis demonstrates, through historical and evolutionary analysis, the essential necessity of a single central national language for fostering state unity and constructing a cohesive nation-state. Drawing on examples from nation-building processes across history, it argues that a unified linguistic framework serves as a foundational element for social integration, cultural homogeneity, and political stability, mitigating fragmentation in multilingual societies and enabling the evolution of a shared national identity. While acknowledging debates on linguistic diversity, the analysis substantiates that nationalism historically prioritizes a dominant language to overcome divisions and promote collective allegiance. The second thesis provides historical and religious evidence establishing the greater antiquity of the Arabic language—both in spoken and written forms—compared to Hebrew. It traces Hebrew's trajectory through centuries of Jewish persecution, diaspora, and assimilation under Christian influences, leading to its effective extinction as a vernacular by late antiquity, where it survived only among a limited scholarly elite. In the early centuries CE, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi codified the Mishnah around 200 CE, contributing to the preservation of religious texts like the Talmud and Torah, but Hebrew remained dormant until its revival in the 20th century through dedicated efforts by Zionist scholars and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In contrast, Arabic maintained uninterrupted continuity throughout history, with speakers spanning Arab and non-Arab communities, an expanding vocabulary, and widespread use across regions. Religious sources, particularly the Quran preserved in written form since the 7th century CE, affirm Arabic's pre-Abrahamic existence, attributing it to ancient Arabian civilizations such as the peoples of 'Ad and Thamud, who received prophets Hud and Salih, and noting its presence in Mecca prior to Ishmael's arrival, where he integrated into local Arabic-speaking tribes like Jurhum. Comparative linguistic evidence highlights Arabic's deeper roots in Proto-Semitic traditions, despite debates on attestation dates, underscoring its enduring vitality over Hebrew's intermittent history. By linking linguistic unity to national cohesion and contrasting Arabic's persistence with Hebrew's revival, this paper contributes to understandings of language as a pillar of cultural and religious identity, with implications for contemporary nation-states and Semitic linguistics.