* No Written Record: The earliest forms of Arabic predate any written records. Like many languages, it developed orally for a long time.
* Gradual Evolution: Languages evolve gradually over time. Arabic, like other Semitic languages, likely developed from a shared ancestor, with various dialects branching off.
* Earliest Inscriptions: The earliest known written inscriptions in a language resembling Arabic date back to the 5th century CE in the Nabataean kingdom, which was located in present-day Jordan and Saudi Arabia. These inscriptions are considered the earliest evidence of a proto-Arabic language.
Therefore, while we can't give a definitive date, we can say that Arabic has roots dating back thousands of years, with its written form emerging around the 5th century CE.