Some words used in German and English are immediately identifiable as originating in the Arab Middle East, just think of harem or minaret, but others less so. German philologist and book author Andreas Unger explains a language phenomenon that goes back to the Middle Ages.
DW: How did Arabic words make their way into European language?
Andreas Unger: For the most part, that happened in the Medieval era. Islamic-Arab cultures were vastly superior to European cultures in the Middle Ages, and traders as well as the invading Muslim forces in modern-day Spain and Portugal and in Sicily brought with them technology, science and luxury articles — and of course the corresponding words that were then Europeanized.
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So medieval Europeans slowly started using mattresses and the accompanying term?
It was more complicated than that, because sometimes, the meaning of a word would change. In Arabic "matrah" simply means cushions or blankets tossed on the ground — people would often place pillows on the floor or on seats.
Europeans were keen on Arabic luxury articles, and "matrah" originally also denoted a luxurious blanket. Over time, the word was used for a stuffed pad to sleep on, which evolved into our contemporary mattress.
Did the words find their way directly into the English or German language from the Arabic?
First, the words trickled into mainly Italian and Spanish, via the Arab population — after all, the Arabs were in Spain from 711 to 1492 — and the merchants who traded throughout the Mediterranean Sea and bought goods in Palestine. The European upper classes were interested in these products.
In the case of Germany, for instance, which had no trade to speak of in the Mediterranean, different Arabic-origin words entered the language via Italy and thus Italian.
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Are some word groups more common than others?
There are two major groups, and one of them is science. The Arab world had absorbed Greek scientific knowledge, which was virtually unknown in Europe around the year 1000. Arab books on those matters were translated into Latin at some point, and that's how terms from the fields of astronomy, mathematics and pharmaceutics ended up in European languages.
Then, there were the luxury articles: mattresses were covered in precious silk, a sofa was originally a seat of honor, sugar and everything made with sugar — marzipan, for instance — was really important, as were fragrances — jasmine, orange blossom —, citrus fruits like oranges and lemons, and musical instruments like the guitar and the tambourine.
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Is the origin of any one word particularly surprising?
As far as I am concerned: benzene!
The development of word meanings can be quirky indeed. Benzene, an important component of gasoline, was adopted into English from the German "Benzin," which in turn was based on the word benzoic acid. Originally, it was an Arabic word for a balsamic resin imported from Java — like the aromatic frankincense.
For a long time, people were unaware of the fact that European cultures had absorbed bits of the Arab-Muslim cultural world and that many words go back to the Arabic language. But it's good to know about these roots, in particular in light of the alleged conflict between the western and the Islamic world. That is why I wrote a book about German words that go back to the Arabic language.
Andreas Ungeris a German linguist and author of "From Algebra to sugar. Arabic words in German," revised in a second edition in 2013. He lives in Berlin.
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Apfelschorle
Sparkling water added to apple juice, or any other juice: All Germans know this as the "Schorle." It's a popular and widespread drink in the country, yet any translators' discussion forum will show there's not even an established term to describe it when abroad. You might say apple spritzer in the US, but you're better off calling it "apple juice mixed with sparkling water" to make things clear.
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Berliner Weisse mit Schuss
Germany is the country of the Beer Purity Law, so you'd expect all Germans to be purists with their brew. Yet the Berliner Weisse, a cloudy, sour white beer with around three percent alcohol by volume, is traditionally served mixed with syrup — either raspberry ("Himbeer") or woodruff ("Waldmeister") — giving it a bright red or green color. The mix is now even available in bottles.
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Radler
Beer-based mixed drinks are popular in Germany. A beer mixed with a lemon-lime soda is called a "Radler," which is also the word for a cyclist. Many bike riders prefer this beverage to a beer when they take a break on their Sunday afternoon bicycle tour. Different English-speaking countries know this mix as a shandy, but you'll probably get puzzled looks if you try to order one in the US.
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Bananenweizen
This combination is definitely not as common as the Radler, but you won't get an "are you crazy?" reaction if you order it in Germany: Bananenweizen is made by topping a wheat beer with banana juice.
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Diesel
The Urban Dictionary defines a diesel beer as a real "hardcore beer." In Germany, it's rather the name of another mix that sweetens a beer and lowers its alcohol percentage: half of it is cola. Depending on the region, other names for the coke-beer mix include Colabier, Mazout, Kalter Kaffee (cold coffee), Moorwasser (moor water), Schmutziges (dirty) or Krefelder (inhabitant of the city Krefeld).
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Spezi
While we're on the case of cola, Germans will all agree on the name of this classic soft drink: the Spezi. It's a mix of cola and orange soda that appeared on the market shortly after World War II. While the brewery Brauhaus Riegele in Augsburg owns the "Spezi" trademark, hoping to monopolize the use of the name, Spezi has nevertheless remained the generic term to design any cola-orange mix.
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Club-Mate
It became the iconic drink of Berlin clubbers and computer hackers over the last decades, but the caffeinated carbonated beverage was invented in 1924 by a Bavarian beverage producer. It was called Sekt-Bronte until the Loscher Brewery acquired the license in 1994 and started marketing it as Club-Mate. The caffeine comes from yerba mate, a plant traditionally used in South America for tea.
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KiBa
KiBa? It's not uncommon to see the drink listed on a restaurant menu, but you won't find its definition in a German dictionary. Still, most people in the country will know that it's a mix of cherry ("Kirsche") and banana ("Banane") juice. Germans love to create abbreviations using the first syllable of each word.
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Sauerkraut juice
The liquid that is removed from sauerkraut — fermented cabbage — and processed into a juice form is known as an ancient miracle cure. Even though it is not a massively popular drink among Germans, it is inexplicably available in all types of stores, not only in organic markets, but also in health and beauty retailers and discounter chains.
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Muckefuck
It's the fantastic name of a coffee substitute made from barley malt. Different theories circulate to explain the origins of the word. One claimed that it derived from the French "mocca faux" (fake mocca) — but that has been meanwhile rejected. Another explanation comes from the Rhenish dialect, where "Mucken" means brown dusty earth and "fuck" is lazy. The term is also used for very weak coffee.
Author: Elizabeth Grenier