Ancient Egypt, just like present day Botswana, was afflicted by a love-hate relationship between two languages, namely Ikalanga language in Lower Egypt, and Chirwa language around the city of Meroe and Medawi. In present day Botswana, Chirwa language has assumed the name of Setswana language.
I looked up the meaning of the name ARAB. You see, in Setswana the word ARABA means "to answer".It turns out that the word ARAB (in Arabic) means something like "answering audibly". Considering that the ancient scribes omitted the last vowel, this is the same meaning of the same word in Setswana. But what I find even more interesting is that the opposite to ARAB is AJMA, meaning "one who answers inaudibly".
Now, in Ikalanga language, the word ASHAMA means "to open one's mounth". There can be little doubt that AJMA (vowel omitted between J and M) derives from the Ikalanga word ASHAMA. So here we are, the Arabic language has adopted a Setswana word "ARAB/ARABA" and an Ikalanga opposite word "AJMA/ASHAMA" - a right deadly embrace!
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