Patterns of Reinterpretation of Word Formation of Arabized Words

Abstract

This article discusses morphological adaptation showing that the degree of assimilation depends on several factors. It shows that certain morphological elements or categories are more susceptible to adaptation than others. For example, concrete lexical items, especially nouns, are more easily integrated than abstracts and grammatical elements. One of the most important processes which can be used to incorporate newly introduced items is the simple derivation (small derivation); the stem is modified by different kinds of affixation. In this process, the morphology of the borrowed word is modeled according to the well-known Arabic "?awzan" through what might be termed a proportional analogical method of derivation or back formation. Two main groups of borrowed words are recognized: The first group includes words which can assimilate completely and become productive for other derivations. Words in this class can be analysed into two discontinuous morphemes (consonantal roots and vocalic patterns). The other group includes borrowed words which cannot be integrated completely because of their incompatibility with the structure of· the Arabic language. Such words cannot be considered as composed of two discontinuous morphemes; instead, the one continuous morpheme approach is adopted. Finally, a suggestion is made to generalize the one continuous morpheme analysis because it is more practical, less abstract, and more capable of avoiding the many exceptions and unresolved problems in dealing with borrowed words.