Linguistic borrowings are words “borrowed” from other languages to give meaning to the same thing. This happens due to the contact between different cultures and their speakers, when words from other languages are used to express thoughts or even to name things, processes and behaviors that, in their own languages, still do not have a word or expression to symbolize. In this article we will impart you the information about the Borrowing in linguistics.
Although we always think that this has only been recurrent in recent times, this is not a fact. This has been happening for many years in different cultures.
Many foreign expressions were used individually and are currently used by communities, such as coffee, tea and tobacco which, in English and in most European languages, are respectively borrowed from Arabic, Chinese and a different language. American Indian language.
The transformation of languages
According to Robins (1977), “Languages are in a continuous state of change, and borrowings should be regarded as those words that were not in the vocabulary at one period and are in it in a subsequent period.” With this, we come to the conclusion that words change in ways that influence the evolution of language. Languages constantly receive borrowings from other languages, being constantly transformed in order to supply things, feelings, among others that still didn’t have words to express them.
Roman Jakobson, one of the greatest linguists of the 20th century, stated that “In matters of language there is no private property; everything is socialized.”, that is, all words can be freely borrowed, transforming and adapting languages. The use of these words from other languages is not unheard of, but widely used by different cultures.
Lexical borrowing
In linguistics , and more particularly in etymology , lexicology and comparative linguistics , lexical borrowing is a type of borrowing that consists, for a language, in adopting a term from another language in its lexicon . Borrowing can be direct (a language is borrowed directly from another language) or indirect (a language is borrowed from another language through one or more vector languages). Borrowing is one of the means available to speakers to increase their lexicon , as well as neologism , catachresis or derivation . By metonymy , we also speak of borrowing to designate the borrowed words themselves, in the target language.
English words borrowed from other languages
Modern English words, as we know them, have an interesting background. Where, then, do so many of the foreign words in English come from?
The English language has a long history of borrowing words from other languages. These “loans” can usually be traced back to specific periods in history. It is estimated that the origins of modern English can be broken down as follows:
| Latin | 29% |
| French (includes Anglo-French) | 29% |
| Germanic Languages (Old/Middle English, Old Norse, Dutch) | 26% |
| Greek | 6% |
| Other/known languages | 6% |
| Derived from Proper Names | 4% |
Original French Loan Languages
| Languages | number of words | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| English | 1053 | 25,0% |
| Italian | 698 | 16,6% |
| old German | 544 | 13,0% |
| Gallo-Romance dialects | 481 | 11,5% |
| Arabic | 214 | 5,1% |
| Celtic languages | 158 | 3,8% |
| Spanish | 157 | 3,7% |
| Dutch | 151 | 3,6% |
| German | 147 | 3,5% |
| Persian and Sanskrit | 109 | 2,6% |
| native American languages | 99 | 2,4% |
| Asian languages | 86 | 2,0% |
| Shamito-Semitic languages | 56 | 1,3% |
| Slavic languages | 53 | 1,2% |
| Other languages | 186 | 4,5% |
Common English Words That Came From Other Languages
Before or after reading this list, it is worth checking out the video “Where did English come from?” on FluentU to learn more about how the language developed. FluentU captures real-world videos such as movie trailers, music clips, news and inspirational talks and turns them into personalized language lessons. If you don’t have an account yet, it’s a great tool for learning English. You can try it free for 15 days by subscribing to the website , or you can download the app from the iTunes store.
From French
In a way, English, French and German are almost like three brothers who grew up together. Each language has influenced the other two languages in some ways, but one of the biggest influences on English has been French.
In fact, from the 9th century to the 14th century , a form of French was even the “official” language in the courts of England! During these years, the common (non-royal) people spoke an ancient form of English, while kings, queens, and courtiers spoke French. And to make it more confusing, most of the documents were written in Latin.
As you can imagine, there was a lot of mixing between these languages. So, let’s look at some interesting English words that still “feel French”.
One more note: Make sure you listen to the original French pronunciations of these words. Many are probably said differently than you’d expect!
1. Ballet
It is a popular dance form in much of the world. Because it was developed in France, many of the words used to talk about ballet also come from French. Non-ballet dancers would probably only know the words “ballerina” and “tutu” from this list.
It is important to note how the word “ballet” is pronounced . Here you don’t pronounce the “t” at the end. Instead, the second syllable should sound like “lay”, with the same vowel sound as the letter “a”.
This is an interesting thing about some of these French borrowings: Some are pronounced like an English word, but others are pronounced more like French.
Here are some other examples of French borrowings that end in “-et” but are pronounced like “a” at the end: ” buffet “, ” gourmet “, ” filet “, ” chalet “, and even the car company “Chevrolet” ”.
Example:
My niece and nephew are in ballet class, so I watched their 5-hour ballet performance on Saturday. It was pretty long.
2. Cafe
In English, this is the name of a small informal restaurant. It often has small tables and sometimes there are also tables outside. It is written with an accent (“café”) and without (“cafe”) in English.
“Cafe” comes from the French word for “coffee,” but it is also very similar to other coffee-related words in many other languages. Usually, cafes serve coffee. But if a place only serves coffee (and no food), it is usually called a “coffee shop”.
Also note that there is a similar word, “cafeteria”, which causes some confusion. Generally, “cafeteria” means a cafeteria for a specific group of people. You will often find them in schools or large companies. In these cases, they are for people who study or work in the building.
Example:
I’ve only got about 20 minutes for lunch, so I’ll just stop at a cafe for a quick sandwich.
3. Croissant
Some of the most common (and best!) loanwords are related to food. That’s because many foods are closely tied to a specific culture, and other languages don’t always have words for foods from other cultures.
A croissant is a type of dough or bread that is light and puffy. Because it’s flaky, the croissant leaves a lot of crumbs on your plate when you eat it.
A similar type of bread in English is a “crescent roll”. “Roll” is the name of a small piece of bread.
Example:
Tina really loves to make croissants because they taste better than other types of bread.
4. Entrepreneur
This is definitely a word you should hear the pronunciation of , as it can be a little tricky even for native English speakers.
An “entrepreneur” is a person who starts his own company. Other common forms of the word include “entrepreneurship” (a noun) or “entrepreneurial” (an adjective).
Example:
Elon Musk, the man who started SpaceX and Tesla Motors, is one of the most famous entrepreneurs in the world.
5. Misstep
This phrase describes a social error. Listen to the pronunciation here , as it has several silent letters, including the “x” and the “s”.
If you make a faux pas, then the mistake is usually not very big and doesn’t hurt anyone physically, but it can make people uncomfortable.
Example:
I committed a pretty big faux pas last night. I kept trying to offer Maria beers, but I completely forgot that she stopped drinking alcohol three years ago!
6. Genre
In French, this word means “type” or “style”. Listen to the pronunciation here .
In English, it is used to describe a category of something, especially when talking about entertainment. You will hear people using this word to talk about books, movies and music.
Example:
Roy likes many types of music, but his favorite genre is heavy metal.
7. Appetizers
These are small pieces of food that are served at special events, usually parties. They are very similar to appetizers, but appetizers are usually served before a larger meal.
Definitely listen to the pronunciation of this one. In fact, spelling is also very difficult. Most native English speakers generally only use it when speaking. Had to check spelling three times when I wrote it now!
Example:
We were invited to Tina and Roy’s engagement party. We expected a big meal, but there were only hors d’oeuvres. That was okay, though, since we weren’t that hungry.
8. Lingerie
Used to describe women’s underwear or sleepwear that is usually sexy or special in some way. It also has a difficult pronunciation .
Example:
These days, before some women get married, their friends give them a “lingerie shower.” That’s when the woman’s friends all get together and give her lingerie as a wedding gift.
9. Renaissance
In French it means “rebirth”, but in English it is often used to describe the historical period between 1300 and 1600, when art and science developed greatly.
It can also be used to describe any time when a person, company or country starts to become popular again after a difficult period. A funny curiosity is that some entertainment writers even described the “renaissance” of actor Matthew McConaughey as ” Mcconaissance “.
Example:
I don’t know much about art, but I do know that Michelangelo and Raphael were two of the most famous artists from the Renaissance.
10. Rendezvous
In English, this word is used to describe a place where people plan to meet or the action of meeting a person at a specific time.
Example:
We’re in a new city, and I’m sure you all want to explore it a bit. It’s 2:00 now, so let’s rendezvous back here at 6:00. Then we’ll go to dinner.
If you want to learn more English words that come from French, check out this interesting post . The explanations are for people who are learning French, but the article is in English and still has some great and important French loanwords .
From German
Like the one we just presented for French, here is an article of 33 German words used in English . The post is written for English speakers who are learning German. It also explains some of the historical connection between English and German. And if you want even more, there is also this article with 76 more German loanwords.
Below we will also include links to the pronunciation of these words in German. In general, however, they are not as difficult to pronounce as French words.
11. Delicatessen
A deli (abbreviated as “deli”) is an informal restaurant where you can buy sandwiches, coffee, and other small foods. It comes from the German word Delikatessen , which means “fine/sophisticated food”, but in English it just describes the place where you can buy these foods.
Some of the most famous delis are in New York, including Katz’s Delicatessen . The photos on the website can give you an idea of the types of (huge) sandwiches that are typical in a deli.
Example:
Delicatessens used to be more common in New York, but many are going out of business since many people seem to prefer more formal restaurants.
12. Fest
A fest is any kind of party, celebration or festival. In both English and German, it is commonly used as a suffix (a part of the word added to the end of a word), and the most common is Oktoberfest . The “official” Oktoberfest takes place every year in Munich, Germany , but many other cities have their own Oktoberfests.
Example:
We visited the Oktoberfest in Munich, but it was crazy. There were so many people, and all of them were drunk!
13. Health
Believe it or not, English speakers use this word! In German, it means “health”. Especially in the United States, people often say “ Gesundheit! ” as a response when someone sneezes (others often say “bless you”).
This is probably more common in the US because more German immigrants have moved there in the last 200 years than in the UK.
Example:
When I sneezed, my aunt said “Gesundheit!”
14. Kindergarten
Literally translated, this word means “kindergarten”. It is a common type of school in many parts of the world. Children usually attend a year or two of kindergarten when they are 5 years old before starting elementary school.
Example:
Our daughter is going to turn 5 next year, so we’ve been trying to find a good kindergarten for her.
15. Waltz
Waltz is a kind of formal ball. The word is also used to describe the type of music that plays during these dances (waltz), and it can also be used as a verb to describe the action of dancing that dance.
Example:
My friends say that dancing the waltz is easy, but I can’t do it. I’m just not coordinated, and everyone says I have “two left feet.”
16. Rucksack
“Rucksack” is another name for a backpack. “Ruck” comes from the German word Rücken (back) and Sack means “bag” or, as you probably guessed, “sack”.
Example:
Alan is going to travel to Europe this summer, but he’s planning on only taking one rucksack. He’ll have to pack carefully if he wants everything to fit!
from Yiddish
You may never have heard of Yiddish, but it is a Germanic language especially common among Jews with roots in Eastern Europe. Today it is mainly spoken in Israel, Eastern Europe and some parts of the US where Jewish families have settled.
Because of historical immigration, some Yiddish words may be more common in American English than British English. Also, because it is a Germanic language, many Yiddish words are similar or even German words .
17. Glitch
A glitch describes a minor problem, but it usually doesn’t make it impossible to finish something.
Example:
I planned to go downtown to meet with Betty, but I ran into a glitch: The bus wasn’t running because it was a holiday. So I just took a taxi instead.
18. Klutz
Klutz is a very uncoordinated or clumsy person . In other words, klutzes often get into accidents and break things.
Example:
My cousin Charlotte is a real klutz. Every time she goes into a souvenir shop, she always seems to break two or three things, and then she has to pay for them!
19. Spiel
In Yiddish (and German) this word can mean “to play”, but in English it is used to describe a quick speech or story that has usually been said/told many times. Often a spiel seeks to convince you of something.
Example:
My uncle Thomas believes a lot of conspiracy theories. When we ate Thanksgiving dinner, he did his whole spiel about how the government is controlled by lizard people!
20. Schmooze
This is a verb that means to speak to someone in a very friendly manner, often to gain some benefit for yourself.
Example:
At the meeting, the professors were schmoozing with the president of the club. They want his club to donate money to the university.
from Spanish
Like French, Spanish is another Latin language that has influenced English. Much of this Spanish influence is especially noticeable in American English, and many of these words may be less common in British English.
21. Guerrilla
In Spanish, this word literally means “little war”. In both Spanish and English, it can be used to describe an unofficial group of people fighting the government. In English, it is most commonly used as an adjective, in phrases like “guerrilla warfare” or “guerrilla marketing”.
Note that in Spanish the “ll” sound is different from English. As a result, in English this word basically sounds the same as “gorilla”, the animal.
Example:
The guerrilla fighters took control of the capital of the country, which gave them control of the government.
22. Macho
This word describes a very strong or masculine person. It can also be used to describe a person who is arrogant about their masculinity. It was also used in the name of a professional wrestler and a popular song from the 1970s .
Example:
Peter is a real macho guy, but that’s annoying sometimes. He says that “real men don’t cry,” but I think he’s wrong.
23. Patio
In English, “ courtyard ” usually describes an area outside a home that usually has a table and chairs, but no roof.
Example:
It was very hot today, so we decided to go out to the patio to drink a cold glass of lemonade. There are some trees there, too, so the sun wasn’t as bad.
24. Plaza
Plaza is an open public area in a city, which can sometimes be called a “square”.
“Plaza” is also used in the names of many malls, corporate building areas, or other large open areas. If you are a native Spanish speaker, note that the English pronunciation has a vibrating “z” sound, not a soft “s”.
Example:
Victoria needed to buy some Christmas presents for her friends, so she went downtown to the new shopping plaza to check out some of the stores that were recently opened.
25. Piñata
This is a happy word that describes a toy filled with candy. At parties, children take turns trying to break it with a stick so the candy falls out.
Example:
We had a birthday party for our 3-year-old boy, but we thought he was probably too young for a piñata. We thought all the kids would get hit in the head with the stick.
