[noumenal]

The word alcatraz comes from the Spanish and Portugese word for "pelican", which derives from the Arabic al-qadus, referring to the bucket of a water-raising irrigation wheel. The bird was so named because it was thought to scoop water into its beak pouch to transport to its young in the desert. This word was later mistakenly applied to the Frigate-bird in the form albatross, not to be confused with albacore, another offspring of Arabic. The Portugese albacor comes from al-bukr, meaning, oddly enough, a young camel. Might want to check the ingredients in your tuna sandwich! That being said, let’s go to Lesson Three.
Next time you go to the county fair, try asking for qutn qandah and sharbah. Etymology, ah, how sweet it is! The two English words cotton and candy come directly from the similar Arabic equivalents (qandah was borrowed by the Arabs from Persian qand "sugar"). Sharbah, meaning "to drink", later entered the English language as sherbet, sorbet, and syrup. Between Starbucks, Budweiser, Chicken of the Sea, and the local candy shop, you could make a whole meal out of foreign language practice.
If you do find yourself in the Middle East, you’ll see that the game of sheikhs is popular. Have

 

you guessed it? Another clue: no need for a language dictionary when you say checkmate, the Anglicized version of the original shah mat, Farsi for "the king is dead". The Arabs adopted the phrase from Farsi (you might recognize shah as a Persian word; remember the Shah of Iran?) although the Persians took mat ("he is dead") from Arabic.
Lastly, a little vacation advice. Perhaps you lust to see a zarafah, or giraffe, and go on a safari — from the word safar, ‘journey’ (coming to English via Swahili) or simply wish to trek in the Sahara, actually just the Arabic word for "desert". Be sure not to call your tour guide a “nice fellah,” unless he’s taking you for a ride on his tractor. Fellah means ‘farmer’ or ‘peasant’ in Arabic and derives from falaha "to till the soil" (but it is not related to English fellow, which is sometimes pronounced "fella").
At least in knowing our languages aren’t too different, we and our Arab neighbors can feel a little closer to one another. So let’s get together and sip a Kooka Koola, Coca Cola, or whatever your tongue might dictate. Some pleasures are simply universal.