SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This thesis is an attempt to follow, at the level of syntax, the complete process, from the onset to the close, of a contact situation that existed in the Iberian Peninsula between the dialects of two language families, the Latin-based or Romance and the Semitic, illustrated primarily by Arabic. Part I contains the socio-historical background in which attitudes to prestige and colloquial varieties have been investigated and the population of speakers quantified. Measurement is discussed in Part II. A framework had to be found to cope with variation in its several aspects: change, evolution, borrowing, convergence and divergence; all of which inform the various Spanish Arabic dialects, Mozarabic, Aljamia, Judesmo, Ladino and Iberian Romance. This new approach made it possible to bring together these varieties which up to now had been treated separately. Part III deals with the study of Arabic texts. A number of dated texts have been collected from different regions of Spain to assess parallel change or divergence in documents of a similar nature for a given period. Part IV considers the impact of Arabic on Latin-based dialects in a number of texts over the same period. A translation follows each. The study provides a detailed analysis of the demise of the Arabic language in Spain. Since the emphasis is on spoken varieties, the analysis has a contribution to make to the better understanding of several regional dialects of this language in the Peninsula. This is illustrated by 24 tables. Finally, simplification as a linguistic concept has been further specified and an order of exit for patterns established. Supplementary material will be found in the appendices where the remaining deeds from the Arabic collection of Nuestra Senora del Pilar, Zaragoza, are translated and considered for their legal Jargon, together with the Lord's Prayer in several dialects, and an article submitted as a contribution to the subject of this study.