Colloquial Arabic Entity Names

Overview

This project presents a complementary lexicographical database documenting colloquial nomenclatures for everyday material culture—specifically kitchenware, personal effects, and culinary items—utilized across the Arab world. To capture the full linguistic landscape of the region, the dataset aggregates vernacular entries from all twenty-two Arab countries. Furthermore, it incorporates cross-linguistic data from non-Arab nations that share a history of lexical borrowing with Arabic, documenting both Arabic loanwords embedded in foreign lexicons and external loanwords integrated into regional Arabic dialects. Crucially, each entry identifies the potential languages of origin for the dialectal term, isolating substratal, superstratal, and adstratal linguistic influences (such as Persian, Ottoman Turkish, French, or Italian). By mapping these regional variations and their probable lexical roots, the database serves as a vital resource for comparative dialectology, contact linguistics, and the study of historical trade routes in the Middle East and surrounding regions.

Technical Specifications

Sample downloads:

• TXT: larger text sample Dictionary of Colloquial Arabic Entity Names
• LMF: LMF model version Dictionary of Colloquial Arabic Entity Names
• XML: XML format version Dictionary of Colloquial Arabic Entity Names
• Other: related samples samples page

Reference: DCCOLNOS

Entries: 15,000+

Last updated: 16 Sep 2026