ABSTRACT
Among the methods of lexical expansion adopted by Standard Arabic is the one traditionally known by the name of at-Tacri:b (Arabicization), whereby linguistic elements of non-native origin are taken over and used in the language. This phenomenon, which can be traced as far back in the history of Arabic as pre-Islamic times, has always been a matter of dispute among Arab philologists, grammarians and writers. This is especially the case with regard to such issues as: the need for borrowings and in what sphere of the language; the status of the borrowed word in Arabic; the significance of arabicization among other methods of lexical expansion; and the impact of this phenomenon on the language as a whole.
