Comparación y contraste de topónimos árabes en la España y Malta medievales

Abstract

The main aim of this study is to compare and contrast the place names, found in the Maltese Islands and the Iberian Peninsula, which are derived from Arabic. To facilitate this investigation first some historical events brought about by the Muslim invasion arc analysed. Of course, the language is one of the main means of interaction between one person and another so we also take a look at the different cultures that were living in the same society. Later, there is an analysis of some characteristics that both the Maltese Language, spoken in the Middle Ages, and the Andalusian Arabic share. This will make it easier to identify identical place names. Where it was possible a transcription of the Arabic word was also given. This study shows that although the two countries have a distant geographical position in the Mediterranean Sea, at some point in history the same Arabic dialect was spoken. This fact is shown through all the place names that coincide, fully or partially. Obviously, one has to keep in mind that this Arabic dialect was transferred orally. This means that some words were phonetically adapted, depending on the pre-invasion language that was used. Also, the Arabic period in Malta was relatively short compared to Al-Andalus. However, an island which was of great influence on the Maltese archipelago is Sicily where the inhabitants of this island spoke the Siculo-Arabic. This helped to keep generating the Arabic dialect in Malta. Apart from linguistic characteristics, the study of toponymy can serve as a description of a particular place. This will give us a more detailed picture of some characteristics which belonged to the country in that particular era.