Snip: I'm curious... exactly how much Arabic is there in Spanish? My teacher was telling me the other day that a great deal of Spanish actually comes from Arabic instead of from Latin.....
My take.
I wouldn't buy into that concept. True, different languages aren't bound by borders, and many adjacent countries speak the same, or in in similar dialects. If the teacher's theory is correct, we can then replace the term Latinos with Arabinos, or Latinas with Arabinas, of which I've never heard.
Spanish was derived from Latin. Italian and Spanish are close enough when spoken, people conversing can understand each other. Maybe not pure Italiano, or Castilian, but nevertheless close enough to communicate. I'm sure some small amount of Arabic and Latin words and terms can be found in most Eastern, Western European, and Middle Eastern countries. There's just been to many wars and occupations through the centuries to not have some cross language affects.