Did you know that Arabic has influenced other languages like English, Spanish, and French? Of course, one could totally understand how Arabic has had a major linguistic influence on other non-Arab Islamic countries. For example, in countries like Pakistan, Turkey or Iran, Arabic is the only language of the Quran. So, naturally, the influence of the Arabic language was strong there. This is due to the fact that Islam is the main religion.
So, how did Arabic expand its influence so deep into the languages of the West? When the Islamic Empire grew into the Mediterranean region, Arabic became hugely influential. This happened sometime between the 8th and 12th centuries.
The following are the top three languages that contain some words from Arabic.
Influence of Arabic on English
English borrowed some words from Arabic through other European languages. Also, words were transmitted by soldiers returning home from the crusades. However, one thing needs to be noted. The Arab world was a great global contributor to the sciences of astrology, alchemy, mathematics and medicine. Therefore, it was only natural that some of the technical terms are borrowed words in English, but not limited to only those technical terms.
| English | Transliteration | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar in Arabic | sukkar | سكر |
| Cotton in Arabic | qutn | قطن |
| Algebra in Arabic | al-jabr | الجبر |
| Alcohol in Arabic | al-kuhul | الكحول |
| Cave in Arabic | kahif | كهف |
| Gazelle in Arabic | ghazal | غزال |
| Lemon in Arabic | limun | ليمون |
| Guitar in Arabic | ghytar | غيتار |
Influence of Arabic on Spanish
Spanish has borrowed many words from the Arabic language due to 800 years of Arab dominion in the region. Arabic seems to have a bigger impact on the Spanish language called Catalan than on any of the Spanish dialects. The Arabs even called the Iberian Peninsula as al-andalus. Also, this word exists even in present-day Spain to denote a community there where the people are known as the Andalusians.
| English | Spanish | Translation | Arabic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aubergine in Arabic | albergínia | badhanjan | باذنجان |
| Bathrobe in Arabic | barnús | barns alhamam | برنس الحمام |
| Olive in Arabic | aceituna | zaytun | زيتون |
| Waterwheel in Arabic | nòria | naeura | ناعورة |
| Artichoke in Arabic | cachofa | kharshuf | خرشوف |
Influence of Arabic on French
At some point, France colonized the region known as Maghreb. The region is in the north-west area of Africa. Consequently, French became the second language. So, it was only natural that some Arabic words permeated the language.
| English | French | Transliteration | Arabic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apricot in Arabic | abricot | albarquq | أَلْبَرْقُوق |
| Magistrate in Arabic | alcade | alqadi | القاض |
| Tariff in Arabic | tariff | taerifa | تعريفة |
Technically speaking, any Romance language will have Arabic influences due to conquering of the European empires within the region. You can find words of Arabic even in the Romanian, Portuguese, German and Italian languages.
We at kaleela.com believe that the study of languages can be fascinating as you learn how they came about, how they influenced other regions and how they have evolved over time. Surely, we can all agree that the Arabic language has made great contributions to other languages, cultures and sciences.
If you want to learn more about the Arabic language, don’t forget to download our Arabic learning app Kaleela!
