From A for algebra to T for tariffs: Arabic words used in English speech

Arabic, a Semitic language spoken by at least 400 million people worldwide, has significantly influenced numerous other languages, including English. Approximately 200 million people are native Arabic speakers, while another 200 to 250 million speak it as a second language.

Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) functions as the formal language in governmental, legal, and educational settings. It also sees widespread use across international and religious contexts. Beyond MSA, over 25 distinct Arabic dialects are used, mainly throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

The United Nations recognizes Arabic's importance each year on December 18th, World Arabic Language Day. This date marks the UN General Assembly's 1973 decision to include Arabic among its six official languages, acknowledging its role as a "pillar of the cultural diversity of humanity."

Al Jazeera created a visual guide outlining common English words with Arabic origins or that traveled into English through Arabic. This borrowing between languages is a well-documented phenomenon.

Linguistic connections reveal historical links forged through trade, learning, and cultural exchange. As the most spoken of the Semitic languages, Arabic has shaped cultures and languages for centuries. Many languages, including English, Spanish, French, and Turkish, have integrated numerous Arabic words into their everyday vocabulary.

Muntasir Al Hamad, a linguistics professor at Qatar University, describes this linguistic borrowing as a natural and age-old process. He told Al Jazeera that this influence appears in vocabulary, science, technology, and other aspects of civilization.

**Arabic Alphabet and Perception**

The Arabic alphabet consists of 28 letters and is written from right to left. Its cursive script means letters alter form based on their position in a word. Typically, short vowels are omitted from standard writing.

These characteristics, combined with a rich vocabulary, contribute to a perception that Arabic poses learning challenges for non-native speakers. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. Al Hamad disputes this notion for many learners.

Al Hamad stated that a common misconception is that Arabic ranks among the world's most difficult languages. He clarifies that Arabic simply operates with different systems compared to English or many European languages. While the Arabic script might seem unfamiliar initially, it is "quite familiar" to speakers of languages like Urdu and Farsi. These speakers often find Arabic easier to read, while Turkish speakers may find its vocabulary easier to memorize because of Turkish's extensive adoption of Arabic words.

**Arabic's Lasting Impact: From Algebra to Tariffs**

Arabic's contributions to mathematics and science stand out as particularly significant. Many of these terms have been shortened or adapted over time as they entered other languages. Their origins are often obscured by their familiarity.

Consider algebra, a fundamental branch of mathematics. The word comes from the Arabic term *al-jabr*, which means "restoration" or "reunion." It initially appeared in the title of a ninth-century work on equation solving by Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, a Persian scholar based in Baghdad. The term “algorithm” is also derived from his name.

Other Arabic words underwent more significant changes during their adoption. For example, the term carat, used to measure gemstone weight, originates from the Arabic word *qirat*.

According to Al Hamad, these adaptations demonstrate how English and other languages modify unfamiliar sounds. He explains that because English has relatively few words starting with "Q," Arabic words like *qirat* were reshaped using more common sounds like "C," "G," or "K," resulting in forms like "carat."

The same process is evident in everyday vocabulary beyond science and mathematics. The word giraffe derives from the Arabic *zarafa*, undergoing a similar transformation as English and other European languages adapted the original sounds to fit their phonetic patterns, similar to their handling of words starting with the Arabic letter Q.

In contrast, words like tariff, originating from the Arabic word *ta’rif* (meaning "to notify" or "to announce"), entered English through trade-related interactions with other languages.

Al Hamad suggests that these words likely entered the English language through Romance languages, although not necessarily in their current forms. He adds that they also passed through Turkish, which borrowed extensively from Arabic and influenced the medieval world through trade and warfare. Later, during the British colonial era, English both borrowed from and contributed words directly to Arabic.