Department: Linguistics African and European Languages
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1
Nativization of Arabic Loans in Baatonum
The contribution of Arabic language towards the development of many languages cannot be over emphasized. As one of the eight most widely spoken languages in the world (according UN report), Arabic has over the years been a major force in enriching the lexicons of several languages in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. Many studies have been conducted on Arabic loan words in languages such as English, Spanish, Mandingo, Hausa, Yoruba, Fulfulde etc. This present paper focuses on the influence of Arabic on Baatonum language with particular emphasis to loan words. It also examines the level of nativization of the loan words in the recipient language. The study adopts the descriptive research method in analyzing the data which was collected from the authors experience as a native speaker of Baatonum in the course of interpersonal conversations with other native speakers. The findings from the study reveal that Baatonum has borrowed quite a number of Arabic lexical item which have since become part of Baatonum’s Lexicon. It also shows that most of the borrowed words have gone through certain phonological modifications since they must be pronounced to suit the linguistic pattern of the receiving language. The paper finally recommends that future researchers focus on Baatonum-Arabic linguistic relations to reveal more about the Arabic loans in Baatonum.
Key Words: Baatonum; Loan words; Phonological modification; Nativization
