Arabic borrowings in Zaghawa

Abstract The Zaghawa language, one of the Saharan languages spoken in western Sudan, specifically the Darfur region, and east-central Chad, is the subject of this descriptive study with special focus on Arabic borrowings. The paper investigates Sudanese Standard Arabic and Baggara Arabic borrowings that have entered Zaghawa through contact with speakers of Arabic. This will be accomplished by showcasing and analyzing the phonological and morphological characteristics of the recipient language, as well as by demonstrating how the Arabic words that were borrowed have been adapted into Zaghawa. The semantic fields of the lexical borrowings are also discussed. Zaghawa exists in a community which is greatly influenced by Islam and the Arabic language. The major dialects of Zaghawa are Wegi, Kube, and Tuba and there are two minor dialects, Dirong and Guruf. Wegi is considered one of the major dialects of Zaghawa wholly spoken in Sudan. The data for this contribution has been collected from speakers of the Wegi dialect living in Khartoum.