What do the 2 Arabic words "Bab gh?" mean? They are the source of the old English word for parrot "Popinjay" and of the Spanish "Papagayo".

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the Arabic "babga" or "babbaga" are probably "of imitative origin". Most likely that means an imitation of the noise parrots (or some parrots) make. Further, the word has probably come into French and then English and other Germanic languages via medieval Greek "???????" (hope the Greek characters show up here). There is also a similar word, but rare, word in Persian; "bapga". That's all I could find.

From the Online Etymology Dictionary information about popinjay:
"Late 13c., "a parrot," from Old French papegai (12c.), from Spanish papagayo, from Arabic babagha', Persian babgha "parrot," possibly formed in an African or other non-Indo-European language and imitative of its cry. Ending probably assimilated in Western European languages to "jay" words (Old French jai, etc.)."

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Popinjay

Barbar was also the word Greeks gave to people speaking a foreign language by the apparent sound they made, leading to the term Barbarians for foreigners, and by the points above would appear to be the common term linking them.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=barbarian