Linguistic Interplay and Convergence Dimensions: A Comparative Analysis of Hebrew Loanwords in Palestinian Arabic

Abstract

This study analyses the process and extent of adaptation of Hebrew loanwords in Palestinian Arabic, comparing speakers from Hebron in the West Bank with Israeli Palestinians from the northern Triangle region in Israel. It underscores that, through social and cultural contact, languages can subtly affect one another in phonological, semantic, morphological, and verbal ways. In Hebron, where Hebrew–Arabic contact remains indirect and informal, loanwords undergo various phonological adaptations and may acquire independent or shifted semantic functions. In contrast, Arab speakers in Israel who are bilingual and have formal education in Hebrew acquire such loanwords with greater phonological and semantic adherence. This study analyses loanword evidence to help decipher the processes underlying language change across different multilingual settings, reflecting linguistic ‘borrowing’ and broader socio-cultural transfers and adaptations. Thus, it emphasises the importance of linguistic proximity, conversational frequency, and sociocultural integration in adaptation at the phonetic and semantic levels.