Re: Arabic article (was: Corpses)

Quoting John Cowan <jcowan@...>:

> Costentin Cornomorus scripsit:
>
> > Can't think of any, though we do have the
> > propensity for leaving Arabic articles in:
> > algebra, alchemy, alcohol, etc. Of course, we
> > didn't borrow those directly, so they probably
> > don't count.
>
> I think it's the fact that these come through Spanish
> that make the difference.  We certainly don't speak of
> al-Islam or the al-Arab.
Isidora was speaking about how this thread, being OT, was the only one that
stuck to its stated topic. Now, this has mutated from a discussion of cultural
views on human corpses to one about the treatment of Arabic articles in
English ... we better watch out before it's back to conlangs!

When did Spanish acquire proper articles, BTW? Where they already there when
the Arabs turned up, or did they arose only later? In the later case it's easy
enough to see why the proto-Spaniards treated the al- as part of the word
proper, I'd say.

                                                       Andreas

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