LEXICAL FEATURES OF ARABIC LOANWORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

This article investigates the lexical features of Arabic loanwords in the English language, focusing on phonological adaptation, morphological integration, and semantic transformation. The study analyzes over 320 Arabic-origin lexical units attested in major English dictionaries, tracing their pathways of borrowing through Spanish, French, Latin, and direct contacts during the medieval and modern periods. Employing corpus-based and comparative-historical methods, the research identifies three principal borrowing channels — scientific-philosophical transmission, trade-commercial influence, and cultural contact — and classifies the borrowed vocabulary into nine thematic domains. The findings reveal that Arabic loanwords undergo systematic phonological reanalysis including consonant simplification, vowel substitution, and stress reassignment. Morphologically, Arabic root-and-pattern structures are largely dismantled and replaced by English affixation patterns, while semantic content typically narrows, widens, or shifts through pejoration and amelioration. The study demonstrates that Arabic contributes a substantial and historically layered stratum to the English lexicon, particularly in the domains of science, mathematics, commerce, textiles, and philosophy.