The purpose of this paper is to present a general overview of the linguistic setting of Arabic. Three main areas are covered. The first of these, diglossia, is defined in general terms and then examined more closely in relation to its historical development in Arabic-speaking countries (i.e., as resulting from geographic, socioeconomic, and religious splittings in this area of the world). The second major portion of this paper is devoted to a synchronic comparison of the phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon of Classical Arabic and Syrian Arabic. The comparison shows that: (1) the phonology of the two varieties of Arabic is "moderately different;" (2) the vernacular has a simpler grammatical structure than the Classical, and is becoming increasingly synthetic; and (3) lexically, the vernacular borrows much from Classical Arabic. The final portion of the paper discusses the need for and development of a standardized language that would dissolve the diglossic split in Arabic. The most practical and likely choice for a unified language is here offered as that dialect known as the "language of the educated." This Intercommon Spoken Arabic, alreading evolving, perhaps will lead to sociolinguistic changes what will distribute literacy more widely in the Arab world. (Author/TL)