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.

本文针对英语中的阿拉伯语借词词汇特征展开研究，重点聚焦于语音适配、形态整合与语义演变三大方向。本研究对主流英语词典中收录的320余个阿拉伯语源词汇单元进行分析，追溯其在中世纪与近现代时期，经由西班牙语、法语、拉丁语及直接语言接触渠道实现借入的具体路径。本研究采用基于语料库与比较历史研究方法，明确了三类核心借入渠道：科学-哲学传播、贸易-商业影响与文化接触，并将所涉借词划分为九个主题范畴。研究结果显示，阿拉伯语借词需经历系统性语音再分析过程，具体涵盖辅音简化、元音替换与重音重分配。在形态层面，阿拉伯语的词根-词型结构大多被拆解，并替换为英语的词缀构词模式；语义层面上，词义通常会通过贬降、褒扬或其他路径发生范围缩小、外延扩大或语义转移。本研究表明，阿拉伯语为英语词汇体系贡献了规模可观且兼具历史分层特征的词汇层，尤其在科学、数学、商业、纺织与哲学领域贡献显著。