Semantic Change of Arabic Loanwords in German Across Selected Scientific Domains
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes1244Keywords:
Arabic-German linguistic contact, linguistic borrowing, loanwords, scientific terminology, semantic changeAbstract
This research aims to examine the semantic change of Arabic loanwords in German within selected scientific domains. While scholarship on Arabic loanwords has primarily concentrated on etymology and transmission history, German as a receiving language has been comparatively understudied with respect to semantic change, especially from a domain-specific perspective. This study investigates the linguistic contact between Arabic and German, measures the extent of Arabic influence in the German scientific vocabulary, and conducts a detailed analysis of the processes of semantic change in these terms. The analysis is based on a lexicographically documented dataset of forty loanwords distributed across four scientific domains that emerged from the data. The findings reveal varied patterns of semantic change, of which broadening and narrowing are the most frequent, alongside instances of retention, while metaphorical shifts were attested in limited terms. Semantic broadening reflects the integration of terms into wider scientific contexts, whereas narrowing corresponds to the demands of precision characteristic of scientific discourse. Certain terms retained their original meanings, and metaphorical shifts emerged from cultural reinterpretation. Metonymy was absent, which affirms the nature of scientific terminology that favours standardization and stable definitions over associative meaning typical of metonymy.
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