Structure and Meaning of Arabic Personal Names in Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

This study analyses Arabic personal names in Brunei in terms of the morphological structure and meaning. We collected the data from some Malay undergraduates. The study finds that a person’s full name is mostly made up of two parts: The first name + the father`s name, with nickname inserted between them. It also finds that there are three types of the name structures, including: three-word names, two word-names and one-word name. The study reveals, the Bruneians have adopted the Arabic naming convention in terms of the meanings. Hence, names of the prophet Muhammad "saw", his family and companions are the most common, while the other names are taken from the names of Muslim scholars throughout the history. Names that refer to the animals and plants are rare. Finally, this study finds that Malay language in terms of phonetic shift in turn has influenced by the personal Arabic names in Brunei.