When an Arabic speaker speak Spanish, does he sound like an Andalusian person? (English, move)
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The OP question is pretty stupid. Just like there are a bunch of different dialects in Spanish, same thing in Arabic.
How do I know that?
Well, I'm Arab and I was in Spain just three months ago. Spain has ALOT of influences and they pretty proud of it. Alot of Spanish food is heavily influenced by Arab food...yellow rice for example.
Spain might be the most diverse country in Europe depending on the area of the country. Barcelona still has plenty of Arabs there...why the holy hell would anyone think an Arab speaking Spanish in Barcelona would be from the other side of the country?
The question is indeed very odd. Arabic sounds extremely different from any kind of Spanish, especially the Andalusian dialect is rather soft and melodious, whereas Arabic sounds very harsh to my ears...
I don't think Andalusian sounds the way it does because of the Arabic period there. Makes me wonder what language people spoke in Andalusia back then
OK, still, the bulk of the Andalusian population was Iberian during the Muslim era as well. They adopted a number of loan words from Arabic, but I am sure the Iberian population continued to speak the dialect they had always spoken. Why would they change the pronunciation of their language just because there were invaders and loan words? To the contrary, Arabic loan words, just like English and other loan words today, for instance the Portuguese IT word escanear for to scan) were changed to fit the Spanish and Portuguese syllable structures and pronunciations. I read that only about one tenth of the existing loan words are actually used by Spaniards. Interestingly many of those words that are still used also exist in, say, German or English, like Zucker or sugar for azúcar, Reis or rice for arroz, etc.
The question is indeed very odd. Arabic sounds extremely different from any kind of Spanish, especially the Andalusian dialect is rather soft and melodious, whereas Arabic sounds very harsh to my ears...
I don't think Andalusian sounds the way it does because of the Arabic period there. Makes me wonder what language people spoke in Andalusia back then
That's your opinion,doesn't mean that arabic didn't influence Spain culture,music,food,architecture,language,poetry.
Very harsh to you ears,not everybody's else ears,maybe,you don't have an ear for music,just read the history of spanish language and music.
OK, still, the bulk of the Andalusian population was Iberian during the Muslim era as well. They adopted a number of loan words from Arabic, but I am sure the Iberian population continued to speak the dialect they had always spoken. Why would they change the pronunciation of their language just because there were invaders and loan words? To the contrary, Arabic loan words, just like English and other loan words today, for instance the Portuguese IT word escanear for to scan) were changed to fit the Spanish and Portuguese syllable structures and pronunciations. I read that only about one tenth of the existing loan words are actually used by Spaniards. Interestingly many of those words that are still used also exist in, say, German or English, like Zucker or sugar for azúcar, Reis or rice for arroz, etc.
Don't know what you talking about ? what does it have to do with initial question ?
OK, still, the bulk of the Andalusian population was Iberian during the Muslim era as well. They adopted a number of loan words from Arabic, but I am sure the Iberian population continued to speak the dialect they had always spoken. Why would they change the pronunciation of their language just because there were invaders and loan words? To the contrary, Arabic loan words, just like English and other loan words today, for instance the Portuguese IT word escanear for to scan) were changed to fit the Spanish and Portuguese syllable structures and pronunciations. I read that only about one tenth of the existing loan words are actually used by Spaniards. Interestingly many of those words that are still used also exist in, say, German or English, like Zucker or sugar for azúcar, Reis or rice for arroz, etc.
Of course, all European languages have many Arabic loan words. Castillian has about 500 important words coming from Arabic, Catalan, almost none.
Back in antiquity, at least in medieval Spain, the country was far more diverse and the nobility during the lower middle ages were intelectually freer, so you could find many people that spoke Latin, Arab, Hebrew, etc. Islamic caliphs spoke iberian, plus Latin, many knew ancient Greek.
Universities, the first institution in Europe we can call University was in Islamic Cordoba, used Latin, Arabic, Greek, Hebrew..that was in the 9th century.
Back in those times all cultured people knew Latin, and you could go to any university in Europe disregarding sincretic languages...
Rice is a word of Greek origin, that passed to Latin and to the rest of languages. During the Roman empire rice was known, but was hard to find.
That's your opinion,doesn't mean that arabic didn't influence Spain culture,music,food,architecture,language,poetry.
Very harsh to you ears,not everybody's else ears,maybe,you don't have an ear for music,just read the history of spanish language and music.
I didn't say Arabic did not influence some aspects of Spain and Portugal. Still, the native population back then hated the occupation, that is why they sacrificed a lot of lives to throw the invaders out of the country. It was not a happy multi-cultural paradise back then, quite to the contrary. Non-Muslims were considered second-class citizen with fewer rights. These days people tend to forget that and idealize that era because of the kitschy tourist stuff.
When the ancestors of the Spaniards and Portuguese reconquered their own lands, they tried to clean "Spain" and "Portugal" of all things Arab. Some stuff remained, mostly buildings, but a lot was undone, deliberately replaced by Christianity and native things that the people from the northern fringe of the peninsula (which was never really Muslim) brought with them and reintroduced in the southern parts. The use of Arabic-based words has been in decline ever since.
Other major groups that helped make Andalusian culture what it is are the gypsies and jews.
Any objective person comparing the sound of Arabic and Andalusian Spanish will have to admit they sound completely different. Actually I find Arabic has more in common with northern Spanish which sounds harsher and more aggressive than Andalusian.
Of course, all European languages have many Arabic loan words. Castillian has about 500 important words coming from Arabic, Catalan, almost none.
Back in antiquity, at least in medieval Spain, the country was far more diverse and the nobility during the lower middle ages were intelectually freer, so you could find many people that spoke Latin, Arab, Hebrew, etc. Islamic caliphs spoke iberian, plus Latin, many knew ancient Greek.
Universities, the first institution in Europe we can call University was in Islamic Cordoba, used Latin, Arabic, Greek, Hebrew..that was in the 9th century.
Back in those times all cultured people knew Latin, and you could go to any university in Europe disregarding sincretic languages...
Rice is a word of Greek origin, that passed to Latin and to the rest of languages. During the Roman empire rice was known, but was hard to find.
Being educated and speaking foreign languages was limited to a small elite back then, most people were illiterate. Universities were not what they are today, places which almost anyone can enter. They also had a strong religious affiliation, unlike today of course. It was like in all of Europe during the Middle Ages.
Being fluent in Latin was still a requirement even when I entered university. I don't know whether that is still the case today...
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