Other than Latin, Arabic is the language with the greatest influence on the Spanish language. Arabic speakers entered the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal) in the year 711. Accompanied by Berbers, these Arabic speakers were pushing into Europe to spread the new faith of Islam that had been founded in 622. Within a few years, the majority of Spain was under Arab rule but the Arabic language and culture was always strongest in the South in the area known as Andalusia (al-Andalus).
In this region, a language sprang up which was a combination of Arabic and Vulgar Latin, the form of Spanish spoken in the region at the time. Vulgar Latin was the common speech of the people, in other words the language evolving from Latin into modern Spanish. The Arabs were in control of this region for the better part of seven centuries. During this time, there was a flourishing of education, the arts and sciences. Many texts were translated from classical Latin and Greek into Arabic and Vulgar Latin, giving people access to ancient learning for the first time in many centuries. There were great leaps in medicine, alchemy and the arts.
The Arab rulers were also very tolerant of both Christianity and Judaism and people were openly allowed to practice these faiths allowing for a collaboration of the intellectuals of the day. That said, the Arabs converted many Christian places of worship or other buildings into mosques, the most famous of which is the Alhambra. This magnificent building is located in Granada and pictured above. This era of religious tolerance came to an abrupt end in 1492 when Spain was once again under Spanish rule.
It is estimated that around 8% of modern Spanish words are of Arabic origin. However, the frequency of these words varies depending on the topic. For example, many scientific and agricultural words come from Arabic. Interestingly, in the Arabic language, al denotes the and therefore is featured as a prefix on many of the words. When translating Arabic into English a hyphen or space is often employed as in Al jazeera. However this practice is not used in Spanish and therefore in its truest sense the word the is doubled!
Here is a list of common Spanish words of Arabic origin:
aceite oil
aduana customs (at the border)
ajedrez chess
almuerzo lunch
alquiler rent
arroz rice
azúcar sugar
azul blue
hasta until
ojalá hopefully (may God grant)
