Geographic proximity to North Africa sustained Arabic among Valencian Muslims

Evidence

The preservation of Arabic, both spoken and written, among the Valencians was no doubt in part due to the closeness of the North African coast. Muslim contacts with the Islamic world, even some family alliances, could be maintained; it is not surprising that the Valencian region remained highly Arabicized and Islamicized. — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 407

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the general theme across Harvey’s book that Valencian Moriscos were culturally closest to Islam and hardest to assimilate.