English Words

10.7
SUMMARY
Over the centuries, English has expanded its vocabulary by extensively borrowing lexical items from other
languages. Of all sources of loanwords French is by far the most important. But there is a significant
number of words borrowed from other languages, which reflects the contacts English-speaking people have
had with other peoples and their cultures.
Normally, a loanword (i.e. a word-form plus meaning) is imported, but sometimes loan translation takes
place—the meaning of a foreign lexical item is simply translated into English. For borrowing to take place
it is obviously necessary to have some bilingual speakers who regularly code-switch or use foreign words in
English. This may result in words seeping into English from another language.
Foreign words are borrowed for a number of reasons, e.g. to meet the need for a way of expressing a
particular meaning, to court admiration etc. Borrowed words from a particular language tend to reflect the
nature of the contact, e.g. cultural contact, colonisation, religion, trade and so on.
The likelihood of being borrowed is not the same for all words. Content words are more likely to be
borrowed than function words. And among content words nouns are the most likely candidates for
borrowing, but words in other word-classes are not exempt. Once borrowed, words may get Anglicised to
different degrees. Borrowing words from foreign languages may affect the phonological, grammatical and
semantic structure of the recipient language.
Borrowing has enriched the English lexicon. But at the core English remains a Germanic language. Most
of the commonest and most basic words used today are descended from Anglo-Saxon. Often there are near
synonyms, one of which is native and the other borrowed, which differ stylistically.
EXERCISES
1. Why do languages borrow words?
2. Explain how different types of borrowing can be classified.
3. What is meant by the ‘nativisation of loanwords’? Give two examples of foreign words that have
become nativised in English.
154 ENGLISH WORDS

---

4.
a. Give two fresh examples of affixes and bound roots borrowed from Latin.
b. With the help of a good dictionary, explain the meanings of each of the morphemes that you have
selected.
5. A large number of Latin words, phrases and abbreviations are used in English such as:
AD
de jure
homo sapiens
moratorium
ad hoc
e.g.
honorarium
non sequitur
ad infinitum
ego
i.e.
prima facie
ad nauseam
et al.
in loco parentis
primus inter pares
alma mater
etcetera (etc.)
magnum opus
referendum
bona fide
exeunt
malefactor
sine die
caveat
exit
modus operandi
status quo
de facto
ex gratia
modus vivendi
subpoena
a. State in plain English what each of these abbreviations, words and phrases means. Where
appropriate, indicate whether there is a standard loan translation of the Latin phrase.
b. In what area of the vocabulary (i.e. semantic field) is each phrase found? Is there any reason for
this? Can any generalisation (s) be made?
6. Many words in the scientific, technical and learned vocabulary are borrowed from Greek. Study the
words below and, using a good etymological dictionary, find out the meanings of the morphemes in
each word:
chemotherapy
laryngoscope
physiology
stethoscope
econometrics
microbiology
physiotherapy
telescope
economics
microscope
psychology
theology
kilometre
morphology
psychotherapy
thermometer
7. Look up the words below in a good etymological dictionary and answer the questions that follow:
banana
female
mosquito
serve
bandit
fjord
moussaka
shampoo
banquet
flamenco
ombudsman
shinto
beauty
fruit
opossum
ski
biology
Führer
orange
skunk
bog
goulash
paper
sugar
boil
honour
pecan
sumo
booze
igloo
philharmonic
Talmud
boss
inhabitant
piano
tea
buffalo
judo
plaza
theory
caftan/kaftan
jungle
pleasure
thermometer
A LEXICAL MOSAIC 155

---

chihuahua
junta
pneumonia
tobacco
chop suey
kangaroo
poach
tomato
church
kirk
potato
tulip
clan
landscape
pound
virgin
coffee
maize
pray
virtue
cosher/kosher
mardi-gras
propaganda
wigwam
cotton
mayonnaise
ptarmigan
wildebeest
courage
mazurka
regal
wine
crag
menu
religion
yoga
culture
mercy
roast
yoghurt
deck
military
robot
zany
delicatessen
model
scene
zen
falcon
moose
school
zenith
a. Find out when and from which language the above words came into English.
b. Where appropriate, attempt to make generalisations about the observed patterns of borrowing (e.g.
are words from certain languages concentrated in certain semantic fields? If the answer is yes, is there
a plausible reason for this?).
156 ENGLISH WORDS

---

Chapter 11
The mental lexicon