American imports get a lot of the blame - words like cookie, closet, movie, apartment, campus, fries, soccer, mailbox. But other languages have given us plenty of words as well. Croissant from French. Delicatessen from German. Glitch from Yiddish. Macho from Spanish. Karaoke from Japanese. Gung-ho from Chinese. Moped from Swedish. Paparazzi from Italian. In other words, English is being infiltrated by other languages non-stop.
So why is this a problem? There seems to be some idea of linguistic purity - some mysterious essence of English - which is being corrupted by all these foreign intruders. They're turning our rich and sophisticated language into some second-rate and polluted language that's embarrassing to use.
What a load of nonsense. Words derived from other languages are constantly enriching and enhancing English. Without them our language would be static and stale and would gradually wither. New and unfamiliar words are fun to decipher and adapt to. And of course they're fun to try out on people who've never heard them.
In any case, what about all those English words that find their way into other countries' languages? I daresay those people who object to the pollution of English are quite happy to pollute other languages with our own linguistic migrants.
I suspect that the wholesale invasion of English by other languages is not a faux pas but simply a fait accompli.
You will not recognise English spoken in India as different parts of India will have different local words blending effortlessly with some words of English to make sense only to locals. On the other hand, many English words have crept into local languages which makes it even more delightful for me.
ReplyDeleteRamana: Plenty of linguistic mixing going on there then! I could have mentioned Hindi and Sanskrit words of course. Like bungalow from the Hindi word bangla or shampoo from the Hindi word champo.
DeleteHere is something that is sure to be of interest to you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinglish
ReplyDeleteIndeed, there's plenty of Hinglish (described as a portmanteau of Hindi and English). I see someone has predicted that soon the world's Hinglish speakers may soon outnumber native English speakers.
DeleteThis must be a UK thing? I’ve never heard anyone complain about international words used in America. I think most people actually enjoy using foreign words as a sign of superiority. LOL!
ReplyDeleteBijoux: Is that so, it's not an American thing? Maybe because American is a variation of English in the first place. And yes, I think you're right about foreign words being used to sound superior.
DeleteWish to return to 'pure' English do they? Give them a copy of 'The Canterbury Pilgrims', or better 'Piers Plowman' and see how they get on....
ReplyDeleteFly: Good suggestion! I read bits of The Canterbury Tales" at school, and the language was practically incomprehensible, totally different from today's English.
DeleteWell, I was brought up in Hiberno-English and Gaelic, Hiberno being a mix of both.
ReplyDeleteQuebec has a charming mix of Frenglish.
Some people get their knickers in a knot about such trivia. I honestly believe it's a form of racism.
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www: I kept thinking the same as I wrote the post, that there's an element of racism in people's protests.
DeleteI, for one, am glad we no longer speak Olde English. I can still spout bits of Canterbury Tales I had to memorize in high school but why would I want to talk like that?
ReplyDeleteLinda: What a wonderful image, all of us spouting Olde Englishe to each other. Gadzooks open ye portcullis forsooth!
DeleteI've seen movies in other languages that had whole sentences rendered in English for want of a translation. Only yesterday. I wish I could remember...
ReplyDeleteJoanne: We often watch foreign movies with subtitles, and some of the misheard subtitles are hilarious.
DeleteI knew the French objected to foreign words creeping in, but I didn't know the Brits did it too. It's funny considering how English has come from so many sources. That's why the spelling is so hard to learn.
ReplyDeleteJean: As Ms Scarlet says, the French have a law (the Toubon Law) limiting the use of foreign words. We Brits don't have any such laws, thank goodness.
DeleteI was just about to say what CheefulMonk said about the French - didn't they even make laws about foreign words?
ReplyDeleteNew words don't bother me, I think they're generally fun additions.
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Ms Scarlet: As I said to Jean, they have the Toubon Law. But I agree, new words are fun additions and prevent the language fossilising (like Latin has).
DeleteSort of like closing the gate after the cows have escaped. English has so many foreign influences why are a few more a problem. Language is also ever evolving and dynamic.
ReplyDeleteWow, every generation has it's mark to make. In the states when some owns up to a mistake, it is common for them to say "Sorry, my bad" which I hate. But it is here to stay whether I like it or not.
I read an article one time about we use the French term instead of a perfectly good English one like questionnaire instead of questionaries'. Life is good if this is what we have to complain about.
Ann: Indeed, there are so many foreign influences already, what's the problem? "Sorry, my bad" was popular here for a while but it didn't last very long. And yes, why use French words unnecessarily? A faux pas is simply a mistake.
DeleteLanguage is also a regional thing. Where I grew up we ate a lot of casseroles. When I moved to Minnesota they ate hot dish so when I said casserole they thought I was being uppity.
ReplyDeleteLinda: Same in the UK. There are lots of Scottish and Welsh words that baffle the English. Like blether (chatterbox) or peely-wally (ill-looking).
DeleteI love having lots of different influences on the language. It can tell you a lot about the derivations of words or ideas.
ReplyDeleteJenny: I agree. New words keep the language fresh and colourful.
DeleteI get really irritated when people of my kids generation use a bunch of Americanisms, not because of language purity but because America really shouldn't be allowed to dominate our language as it does everything else.
ReplyDeleteYoung adults in my sphere now use words like diaper, cookie and sweater consistently, as if we never even had a local word.
Local things add colour: people love an accent, or a regional cuisine or a local custom so wy should language be any different? I don't want an homogenous, world wide quasi America
Kylie: I don't think America is dominating English, more like the other way round since American is a variation of English to start with. And we get new words from languages all over the world, so America is a very minor influence. It's estimated that 80% of English words actually derive from other languages, of which American is just one. So languages are far more universal than they are "local".
DeleteCookie is now used a lot in the UK, but never diaper. Sweater has always been a standard English word, along with jumper and pullover.
'Imported' words don't bother me, what does bother me is people's inability to use proper grammar.
ReplyDeletePolly: Me too. And anyone (novelists especially) who thinks four words are always better than one.
DeleteThat's absurd. Language is ever-evolving. It has to because the world and society aren't static. But I have to admit, I didn't know the words you listed were specifically American.
ReplyDeleteThat was me - I apparently wasn't signed in.
DeleteAgent: English has absorbed dozens of American words, and why not? Preventing foreign words finding their way into English would be an impossible task.
DeleteFor many years in my youth I actually believed the number of words in our language was actually fixed and wondered if there could be benefits to trying to learn most of them. I was quite surprised to learn new words were being formed and eventually became fascinated some were from other languages.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't like to see the language of any nation imposed on the others as it's such differences in our cultures that make this world so interesting. I always think how dull I would find life to be if everyone is like me or nations were all alike in every respect -- language, food, etc.
Joared: I never thought as I grew up that the number of English words was fixed, in fact every day there seemed to be dozens more unfamiliar words than the day before! Indeed, it would be very boring if every country had the same language.
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