Arabic is funny like that. I studied it before I joined the army (I could tell you about it, but then I'd have to kill you). At the peak of my understanding of it, I reckon I'd got a vocabulary of maybe 9 - 10,000 words. Our instructor suggested the average Arab got by with about 3,000. Which is where the english words come in.
A lot of the time, senior linguistic scholars, government ministers and the occasional imman will get together and decide whether they should invent an arabic word for a new concept, idea, whatever. More often than not, the decision about whether a new arabic word should be introduced is based on how many people will be required to use the word in their everyday life. But they make occasional mistakes - goal and computer are just two words which they considered would not require an arabic translation.
But, I have to say, if you want a linguistic merry-go-round, try visiting Lebanon. You can be in conversation, supposedly in arabic, but you have to listen carefully, due to the inclusion of english words (as discussed), but also french words, harking back to their colonisation. It could get very confusing, at times.
Oh, and in the interests of thread integrity, erm, football, rugby, cricket. Yay, sports! 
Mark.
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That's really interesting, Mark. Explains why the English words always surface! They introduced legislation here some years ago that, when opening a business, be it an office, shop, whatever, the name (obviously having to be in Arabic as well as English) had to be a transliteration as opposed to a translation - because some of the Arabic translations were hilarious! Like the "Mini Chinese" restaurant, may have been translated as the "Dwarf Chinaman", etc.!! So now Mini Chinese would read exactly that - Mini Chinese - in the Arabic writing over their door!
Now, F1 again this weekend in KL!! Bring it on, Hamilton!!This message was last edited by Pitby on 3/20/2008.
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