Interference of Amazigh Naming Patterns in the Arabic Toponymy in Morocco: The Case of Village Names

Abstract

The present paper addresses the impact of language contact on the Arabic toponymy in Morocco, namely the aspects of interference of the Amazigh toponym system in the Arabic one. The study is based on an extensive data corpus of village names and it is informed by language contact theory. We argue that Amazigh and Moroccan Arabic toponyms constitute two parallel systems in which the Amazigh system is the source of influence and transfer of many salient characteristics. Such interference does not take place directly as lexical borrowing, but rather indirectly through Arabization and adoption of productive naming patterns. Further, the Arabic toponym system did not just adopt these patterns, but has also activated their productivity.