Spains Arab Connection Influenced the Language

Spain's Arab Connection Influenced the Language If you speak either Spanish or English, you probably speak more Arabic than you think. Its not real Arabic youre speaking, but rather words that come from the Arabic language. After Latin and English, Arabic is probably the biggest contributor of words to the Spanish language. A large portion of English-Spanish cognates that dont come from Latin come from Arabic. Spanish Words and Arabic Origins If you know much about etymology, the English words youre most likely to think of as Arabic origin are those that start with al-. This includes words such as algebra, Allah, alkali, and alchemy. These words exist in Spanish as lgebra, Al, lcali, and alquimia, respectively. But they are far from the only Arabic-derived words in Spanish. A variety of other types of common words such as coffee, zero, and sugar (cafà ©, cero, and azà ºcar in Spanish) also come from Arabic. The introduction of Arabic words into Spanish began in earnest in the eighth century. But even before then, some words of Latin and Greek origin had roots in Arabic. People living in what is now Spain spoke Latin at one time, but over the centuries, Spanish and other Romance languages (such as French and Italian) gradually differentiated themselves. The Latin dialect that eventually became Spanish was highly influenced by the invasion of the Arabic-speaking Moors in 711. For many centuries, Latin/Spanish and Arabic existed side by side. Even today, many Spanish place names retain Arabic roots. It wasnt until late in the 15th century that the Moors were expelled. By then, literally thousands of Arabic words had become part of Spanish. Although it is believed that the English words alfalfa and alcove, which originally were Arabic, entered English by way of Spanish (alfalfa and alcoba), most Arabic words in English probably entered the language by other routes. Keep in mind also that Arabic has changed substantially since the 15th century. Some Arabic words from then arent necessarily still in use, or they have changed in meaning. aceite - oilaceituna - oliveadobe - adobeaduana - customs (as at a border)ajedrez - chessAl - Allahalacrn - scorpionalbacora - albacorealbahaca - basilalberca - tank, swimming poolalcalde - mayorlcali - alkalialcatraz - pelicanalczar - fortress, palacealcoba - bedroom, alcovealcohol - alcoholalfil - bishop (in chess)alfombra - carpetalgarroba - carobalgodà ³n - cottonalgoritmo - algorithmalmacà ©n - storagealmanaque - almanacalmirante - admiralalmohada - pillowalquiler - rentalquimia - alchemyamalgama - amalgamaà ±il - indigoarroba - symbolarroz - riceasesino - assassinatà ºn - tunaayatol - ayatollahazafrn - saffronazar - chanceazà ºcar - sugarazul - blue (same source as English azure)balde - bucketbarrio  - districtberenjena - eggplantburca - burqacafà © - coffeecero - zerochivo - billy goatcifra - cifraCorn - Korancuscà ºs - couscousdado - die (singular of dice)espinaca - spinachfez - fezfulano - whats-his-namegacela - gazelleguitarra - guitarhachà ­s - hashishharà ©n - haremhasta - untilimn - imamislam - Islamjaque - check (in chess)jaque mate - checkmatejirafa - giraffelaca - lacquerlila - lilaclima - limelimà ³n - lemonloco - crazymacabro - macabremarfil - marble, ivorymasacre - massacremasaje - massagemscara - maskmazapn - marzipanmezquita - mosquemomia - mummymono - monkeymuslim - muslimnaranja - orangeojal - I hope, God willingolà © - bravoparaà ­so - paradiseramadn - Ramadanrehà ©n - hostagerincà ³n - corner, nooksandà ­a - watermelonsof - sofasorbete  - sherbetrubio - blondtalco - talctamarindo - tamarindtarea - tasktarifa - tarifftrtaro - tartartaza - cuptoronja - grapefruitzafra - harvestzanahoria - carrotzumo - juice