English words in modern Arabic

Borrowings, calques, and the contested space between them.

Arabic has been borrowing from English (and from French, in the Maghreb and Lebanon) for over a century. The borrowing accelerated through the twentieth century with the spread of cinema, broadcasting, aviation, and electronics, and again with computers, the internet, and social media. The result is a layer of English-derived vocabulary embedded in everyday speech alongside an active counter-effort by language academies to coin Arabic equivalents.

Two patterns of borrowing

English words enter Arabic in two ways. The first is direct transliteration: the English word is taken into Arabic phonology with whatever adjustments are needed (no /p/ in Arabic, so it becomes /b/; consonant clusters are broken up with vowels). The second is calque or coinage: a new Arabic word is built from native roots to express the new concept.

The two patterns coexist for many words, and which one prevails varies by region, register, and audience. Formal writing tends toward coinages; everyday speech tends toward borrowings.

The language academies

Several Arabic language academies (majaamiʿ al-lugha al-ʿarabiyya, مجامع اللغة العربية) have been working since the early twentieth century to coin Arabic terms for new technologies and concepts. The Cairo academy (founded 1932) is the oldest; Damascus, Baghdad, Amman, Rabat, Khartoum and others followed. Their proposals are sometimes adopted (Haasuub for computer has gained ground; baruud iliktrooni for email is in use in formal writing), sometimes ignored (shabaka al-maʿluumaat al-duwaliyya for "internet" exists but everyone says intirnet).

The pattern: a coinage that fits Arabic phonology and morphology, that is short, and that maps onto an existing root, has a chance. A long technical phrase competing with a familiar two-syllable English word loses.

Common borrowings

Tech and internet

Technology vocabulary is mostly borrowed, sometimes adapted to Arabic verbal patterns. The borrowing usually keeps the consonants and lets the vowels follow Arabic phonotactics.

Acronyms

Acronyms are usually preserved in their English (Latin-script) form in Arabic writing or transliterated phonetically. Speech preserves the English pronunciation: GPS is read "jee-pee-es," ATM as "ay-tee-em," USB as "yoo-es-bee."

Resistance, acceptance, and the mid-zone

Some borrowings are resisted with active hostility. Discussions in classical-Arabic-leaning circles regularly criticize kambyuutar in favor of Haasuub; you will see articles arguing that proper Arabic should not import English roots. Other borrowings are accepted without dispute — nobody campaigns against tilifizyoon.

The mid-zone is where most of the action is. iimayl and baruud iliktrooni coexist; moobaayl and jawwaal divide along regional lines; kambyuutar and Haasuub differ by register. None of this is unique to Arabic. English does the same with French, German, and Latin borrowings, with similar disagreements about which to use when.

For an English speaker learning Arabic, the practical tip: borrowings are easier to recognize but should not be your default in formal writing. If you are writing a CV, an academic paper, or a formal letter, prefer the native term where one exists. If you are texting a friend, the borrowing is fine.