A few days ago, the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah completed the historical dictionary of the Arabic language, which included Arabic words, their origins, and their usage in 127 volumes. Despite the enormity of this work and its indication of the richness of the Arabic language, its native speakers seem to have not found their desired goal within its pages. Instead, they turned to other languages, either by using words from those languages, such as using the French “merci” instead of the Arabic “shukran” or the English “hi” and “bye” instead of the Islamic greeting, or by using entire sentences in their conversations with fellow Arabs.
Historical Beginnings
The truth is that the introduction of foreign words into Arabic and vice versa is not new, as many believe, but rather deeply rooted in history, known as the phenomenon of “Language Contact.”
This phenomenon involves the incorporation of words from one language into another due to the interaction of speakers of both languages.
Al-Jahiz referred to this phenomenon in his book “Al-Bayan wa al-Tabyin,” saying, “When two languages meet in one tongue, each one imposes its influence on the other.”
This contact can occur either peacefully, such as through trade journeys, or non-peacefully, such as through wars.
The type of words borrowed depends on the context in which they were introduced. For example, many Arabic words related to agricultural or industrial products have entered European languages: lemon, saffron, sherbet, syrup, sugar, coffee.
In English: Lemon, saffron, sherbet, syrup, sugar, coffee, cotton
In French: Limon, safran, sorbet, sirop, sucre, café, coton
As mentioned by Dr. Ali Abdul Wahid Wafi in his book “Linguistics.”
Regarding the influence of Arabic on Spanish and Portuguese, Fr. J. de Souza an Arab from Damascus who went to Portugal and joined the Franciscan order and was appointed as an Arabic translator for the king, compiled the “Dictionary of Spanish-Portuguese Words Derived from Arabic,” which included about 18,000 words of Arabic origin.
The introduction of Arabic into other languages or vice versa did not start with the entry of non-Arabs into Islam in large numbers, but it preceded that.
For example, the word “al-juman,” which means a pearl made of silver, has Persian origins, and it appeared in the Mu'allaqa of Labid ibn Rabi'a.
However, what we notice from these previous examples is that the borrowed words in each language became part of that language and were not used in their original form, even if they resembled it in pronunciation.
This is known in our Arabic language as “Arabization;” that is, the transfer of a foreign word into the Arabic language, making it a part of Arabic through this transfer.
But what some Arabic speakers do now by exclusively using foreign words as substitutes for Arabic words in their entirety cannot be classified under the category of language contact but is closer to the phenomenon of “linguistic alternation.”
Linguistic Alternation and Its Causes
The phenomenon of linguistic alternation, or what is sometimes referred to as code-switching, does not only pertain to language but extends to all human behaviors, from the way one dresses to the way one greets others, to suit the standards of the surrounding environment.
- The Desire to Separate:
One reason behind some people's replacement of certain words or behaviors may be their desire to separate themselves from the language and behavior being replaced and the stereotypes associated with them in their minds and the minds of their peers.
This is evidenced by scientific studies conducted on a number of African Americans who resort to this method to become closer to “white behavior,” which significantly impacts their welfare, economic progress, and even physical safety.
Some resort to speaking in English, for example, to separate themselves from those who have not had the opportunity to learn it, often due to economic reasons that prevented them from attending schools where English is taught to a proficient level, thus making the English speaker feel a sense of separation from lower-income classes.
The desire to separate may not be purely economic but may also be cultural, such as those who speak French in Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania out of pride and the belief that by replacing the “r” with “gh,” they become kings crowned on the throne of the “Élysée”!
As Lera Boroditsky, an assistant professor in the field of cognitive psychology at Stanford University, concluded from her research, “The languages we speak shape the way we see the world.”
- The Desire to Integrate:
Accompanying this desire to separate is the desire to integrate into the opposite sphere.
By abandoning the Arabic language and embracing English, French, or others, the speaker finds a greater sense of belonging to the culture of the language they speak and a greater desire to integrate into it and its people's behaviors.
For instance, black students in schools switch codes between standard English in the classroom and African American English with their peers to enhance their social status and integrate better with their white counterparts in schools.
Ibn Khaldun linked language and social cohesion in his “Muqaddimah,” explaining how language is formed and refined through social interaction.
“Language is a habit established in the soul by practice, and it only occurs through social interaction and cooperation.”
- The Inability to Express:
Another reason for the phenomenon of linguistic alternation may be the inability to express in the mother tongue due to a lack of linguistic wealth, often stemming from studying in another language. We find that the vast majority of Arab doctors cannot avoid mentioning symptoms and diseases in English because they studied medicine in English. What then do you think of someone who has studied most sciences in English and other foreign languages from a young age and knows little about Arabic, perhaps not even its letters?
If the people of Arabic seek honor in other languages, they neither preserve their heritage nor build their present, thus losing their history and present. How then can they have a future?
This reflects the words of Al-Rafi'i: “Language is an aspect of history, and history is the characteristic of the nation. As long as Allah wills, the nation exists in its history. If language rises, history rises; if language disappears, history disappears and the nation vanishes.”
Language is not just a means of communication but a means of preserving identity and history. The loss of language is the beginning of the loss of the nation itself.
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