Lexical Borrowing: A Method of Language Obliteration and Its Social Prestigious Usage in Iraqi Community

Abstract

The present paper scrutinizes the influence of lexically borrowed words from different foreign languages on the Iraqi Arabic dialect. The loan words which were borrowed from various languages including English, Turkish, Persian and French, underwent morphological and phonological modifications, in addition to semantic change. Borrowing foreign words occurs due to social, cultural, political, economic, military and industrial causes where the last cause has been proved to be the most effective and continuous word formation process nowadays. Thus, loan words of internet and cell phone programs invaded Iraq and have been established and transliterated without finding out Arabic equivalents for them. Loan words follow a morphological texturing which cast them into single, compound, clipped, acronymized and blended forms as lexicalizing such words into the Iraqi Arabic dialect might be viewed by some people as prestigious because. As the person who uses foreign words through his Arabic daily talk is regarded educated and ostentatious.