loanword
Quick Summary
In linguistics, a loanword is a word adopted from one language into another and at least partially naturalized. This process, known as borrowing, is a natural part of language evolution, except in extremely isolated communities. Loanwords often arise when new concepts, products, or technologies are encountered through contact with speakers of other languages.
Examples include "tea" from Chinese, "coffee" from Arabic, and "tomato" from American Indian languages. While loanwords are typically assimilated into the borrowing language's pronunciation and grammar, some may retain traces of their origin. Languages vary in their acceptance of loanwords, with some preferring to create descriptive compounds from existing native words. Despite efforts to resist them, loanwords are seen by many as enriching a language's flexibility and vocabulary.1
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- Altaic languagesVocabulary
…have been highly receptive to borrowings from other languages, both Altaic and non-Altaic, but the core vocabulary and grammatical markers remain native. Languages of the three branches occur in close proximity throughout the eastern part of the Altaic-speaking world and, facilitated by similarities of structure, have borrowed freely from each…
Read More…have been highly receptive to borrowings from other languages, both Altaic and non-Altaic, but the core vocabulary and grammatical markers remain native. Languages of the three branches occur in close proximity throughout the eastern part of the Altaic-speaking world and, facilitated by similarities of structure, have borrowed freely from each…
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Austronesian languagesMajor languagesof these contact influences, Sanskrit loanwords entered Malay and Javanese in large numbers. Many Philippine languages also contain substantial numbers of Sanskrit loans, even though no part of the Philippines was ever Indianized. It is generally agreed that these and the later Arabic and Persian loanwords that are found in…
Read Moreof these contact influences, Sanskrit loanwords entered Malay and Javanese in large numbers. Many Philippine languages also contain substantial numbers of Sanskrit loans, even though no part of the Philippines was ever Indianized. It is generally agreed that these and the later Arabic and Persian loanwords that are found in…
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Baltic languagesLoanwords in BalticThe Baltic languages have loanwords from the Slavic languages (e.g., Old Prussian curtis “hunting dog,” Lithuanian kùrtas, Latvian kur̃ts come from Slavic [compare Polish chart]; Lithuanian muĩlas “soap” [compare Russian mylo]; Latvian suods “punishment, penalty” [compare Russian sud]). There are in addition…
Read MoreThe Baltic languages have loanwords from the Slavic languages (e.g., Old Prussian curtis “hunting dog,” Lithuanian kùrtas, Latvian kur̃ts come from Slavic [compare Polish chart]; Lithuanian muĩlas “soap” [compare Russian mylo]; Latvian suods “punishment, penalty” [compare Russian sud]). There are in addition…
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Chinese languagesThe early contacts…Chinese vocabulary already contained many words not generally occurring in the other Sino-Tibetan languages. The words for ‘honey’ and ‘lion,’ and probably also ‘horse,’ ‘dog,’ and ‘goose,’ are connected with Indo-European and were acquired through trade and early contacts. (The nearest known Indo-European languages were Tocharian and Sogdian, a middle…
Read More…Chinese vocabulary already contained many words not generally occurring in the other Sino-Tibetan languages. The words for ‘honey’ and ‘lion,’ and probably also ‘horse,’ ‘dog,’ and ‘goose,’ are connected with Indo-European and were acquired through trade and early contacts. (The nearest known Indo-European languages were Tocharian and Sogdian, a middle…
Read More- Eskimo-Aleut languagesVocabulary
Greenlandic contains four loanwords from medieval Norse; from the colonial period after 1721 there have been surprisingly few borrowings until the mid-20th century. In Unangam Tunuu and in the Yupik of former Russian Alaska there are many borrowings from Russian, and there are several in Siberian Eskimo from…
Read MoreGreenlandic contains four loanwords from medieval Norse; from the colonial period after 1721 there have been surprisingly few borrowings until the mid-20th century. In Unangam Tunuu and in the Yupik of former Russian Alaska there are many borrowings from Russian, and there are several in Siberian Eskimo from…
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West Germanic languagesHistoryThe spread of early loans from Latin throughout all Germanic languages indicates that, at the time of their borrowing, a continuum of mutually intelligible dialects must still have existed, though differences between widely separated points in the continuum may have been significant. The modern German forms of these loans…
Read MoreThe spread of early loans from Latin throughout all Germanic languages indicates that, at the time of their borrowing, a continuum of mutually intelligible dialects must still have existed, though differences between widely separated points in the continuum may have been significant. The modern German forms of these loans…
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Japanese languageSyntax…has been constantly enriched by loanwords—from Chinese in earlier times and from European languages in more recent history.
Read More…has been constantly enriched by loanwords—from Chinese in earlier times and from European languages in more recent history.
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Japanese languageVocabularyLoanwords other than those constituting the stratum of Sino-Japanese words are lumped together as gairai-go, literally ‘foreign-coming words.’ In the contemporary Japanese vocabulary, English words dominate that category, with slightly more than 80 percent. Also evident are the linguistic legacies of 16th-century Portuguese, Spanish, and,…
Read MoreLoanwords other than those constituting the stratum of Sino-Japanese words are lumped together as gairai-go, literally ‘foreign-coming words.’ In the contemporary Japanese vocabulary, English words dominate that category, with slightly more than 80 percent. Also evident are the linguistic legacies of 16th-century Portuguese, Spanish, and,…
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history of Latin AmericaPostconquest indigenous society…for nearly 100 years, Nahuatl borrowed many hundreds of Spanish words, each representing a cultural loan as well. But all were grammatically nouns; other innovations in the language were minimal. This was a time of change in a familiar corporate framework, centring on areas of close convergence between the two…
Read More…for nearly 100 years, Nahuatl borrowed many hundreds of Spanish words, each representing a cultural loan as well. But all were grammatically nouns; other innovations in the language were minimal. This was a time of change in a familiar corporate framework, centring on areas of close convergence between the two…
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Caucasian languagesVocabularyThere are also loanwords that have been taken from the neighbouring languages (Georgian, Ossetic). Russian, which was a major influence from the late 19th century, was for decades the main source for new words, especially technical terminology.
Read MoreThere are also loanwords that have been taken from the neighbouring languages (Georgian, Ossetic). Russian, which was a major influence from the late 19th century, was for decades the main source for new words, especially technical terminology.
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Paleo-Siberian languagesVocabulary…Paleo-Siberian language also has numerous loanwords, some of which are recent and from adjacent or recently adjacent languages and others of which are ancient and from languages with which it no longer has contact. Some of the loanwords from ancient times are consequently more difficult to identify and trace to…
Read More…Paleo-Siberian language also has numerous loanwords, some of which are recent and from adjacent or recently adjacent languages and others of which are ancient and from languages with which it no longer has contact. Some of the loanwords from ancient times are consequently more difficult to identify and trace to…
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Romance languagesLatin inheritance…are in the main directly inherited from Latin. This applies equally to “function” words, such as de ‘of, from’ (Romanian de, Italian di, Rhaetian da, French de, Spanish de, Portuguese de), as to common lexical items, such as facere ‘to do’ or aqua ‘water’ (Romanian a face, apă, Italian fare,…
Read More…are in the main directly inherited from Latin. This applies equally to “function” words, such as de ‘of, from’ (Romanian de, Italian di, Rhaetian da, French de, Spanish de, Portuguese de), as to common lexical items, such as facere ‘to do’ or aqua ‘water’ (Romanian a face, apă, Italian fare,…
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Scandinavian languagesVocabulary…century, the chief source of loanwords in the North Germanic languages was English.
Read More…century, the chief source of loanwords in the North Germanic languages was English.
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Slavic languagesVocabularyIn prehistoric times Proto-Slavic borrowed a number of important social and religious terms from Iranian (e.g., bogŭ ‘god’ and mirŭ ‘peace’). Later, special terms were borrowed by East Slavic and South Slavic from eastern languages (especially Turkish) as a result of the political domination of the Tatars in Russia…
Read MoreIn prehistoric times Proto-Slavic borrowed a number of important social and religious terms from Iranian (e.g., bogŭ ‘god’ and mirŭ ‘peace’). Later, special terms were borrowed by East Slavic and South Slavic from eastern languages (especially Turkish) as a result of the political domination of the Tatars in Russia…
Read More- South American Indian languagesVocabulary
…significantly in the number of loanwords from Spanish and Portuguese. Massive borrowing has taken place in areas where languages have been in intense and continued contact with Spanish or Portuguese, especially where groups are economically dependent on the national life of the country and there is a considerable number of…
Read More…significantly in the number of loanwords from Spanish and Portuguese. Massive borrowing has taken place in areas where languages have been in intense and continued contact with Spanish or Portuguese, especially where groups are economically dependent on the national life of the country and there is a considerable number of…
Read More - Swedish language
The vocabulary contains many loanwords, especially from Low German and High German and, in more recent times, from French and English.
Read MoreThe vocabulary contains many loanwords, especially from Low German and High German and, in more recent times, from French and English.
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Tai languagesVocabularyLoanwords in later periods from the Khmer and Indic languages (Sanskrit and Pali) are particularly common in Thai and Lao, and loans from Chinese are abundant in the Central and the Northern dialects.
Read MoreLoanwords in later periods from the Khmer and Indic languages (Sanskrit and Pali) are particularly common in Thai and Lao, and loans from Chinese are abundant in the Central and the Northern dialects.
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West Germanic languagesCharacteristics…vocabulary, words and word elements borrowed from a number of different languages occur together and often combine freely in a manner unfamiliar to the languages from which they derive. Furthermore, when words borrowed from different languages are partially alike, one of them may be analyzed and inflected in terms historically…
Read More…vocabulary, words and word elements borrowed from a number of different languages occur together and often combine freely in a manner unfamiliar to the languages from which they derive. Furthermore, when words borrowed from different languages are partially alike, one of them may be analyzed and inflected in terms historically…
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