Derivation from Native and Loan Acronyms in Arabic

Abstract

An acronym consists of the first letters of words in a compound as NASA and UNESCO. Acronyms are pronounced as a word or letter by letter (USA). Arabic has native acronyms (DAESH, HAMAS) and borrowed acronyms for names of companies, organizations, news agency (ALECSO, SANA, WATA, Radar, SEDAW). A unique linguistic phenomenon exists in Arabic where a variety of forms are derived from acronyms pronounced as a word, whether native or borrowed. This study explores derivability of acronyms, the class and meaning shifts that some native and loan acronyms in Arabic have undergone and the productivity level of those derived forms. Derivable acronyms under study are ISIS, HAMAS, FATAH, LASER, AIDS, NATO, WATA, GMC, CD, and RADAR. The most prominent and prolific acronym that was coined during the Arab Spring is DAESH (ISIS). It has more than 50 derivatives with several derived verbs, nouns and adjectives and others as استدعاش دعشنة داعشية داعشي دعششة. Although its original denotative meaning was the “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria” (الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام), DAESH has gone through a meaning and form shift. For example, دواعش refers to members of ISIS, or those who support ISIS; داعشية is the phenomenon of chopping heads and bloodshed; استدعاش the act of violence and atrocities. Such derived forms have a negative and pejorative connotation. Forms derived from LASER and AIDS have derivatives; NATO has the derived adjective (ناتاوي) as الربيع الليبي الناتاوي "NATO Libyan spring", and singular and the plural nouns that are agents ناتاوي ناتاويين "supporters of NATO interference in Arabic revolutions". Those forms have a negative connotation and are used by journalists and social media users who oppose the NATO interference in Arab revolutions. GMC, CD and RADAR only take a plural suffix. Results of the analysis of the derived forms, the class and meaning shifts that acronyms in Arabic have undergone, why some acronyms are derivable, and others are not, are reported in detail.