* Evolutionary Process: Languages don't have a fixed birthdate. They evolve over time, with dialects merging and changing, making it challenging to pinpoint a specific moment of origin.
* Lack of Written Records: While we have ancient inscriptions, early Arabic was primarily an oral language. Our understanding of its early forms relies on reconstructions based on later written records and comparisons with other Semitic languages.
However, we can estimate a timeframe:
* Ancient Roots: Linguists place the origins of Arabic within the larger Semitic language family, which emerged around 3,000-4,000 years ago in the Arabian Peninsula.
* Classical Arabic: This form, considered the standard language of the Quran and the basis for modern literary Arabic, dates back to the 7th century CE, around the time of the Prophet Muhammad.
So, while we can't give an exact age, we can say that Arabic has a rich history spanning millennia. Its spoken forms have been evolving for thousands of years, and the Classical Arabic form, which provides the basis for modern Arabic, dates back to the 7th century CE.