Indian Loanwords in English

98501045Gloria

Number of Foreign Words in use at Various Points in the History of English

Medieval 16c 17c 18c 19c 20c

French 19 42 166 316 736 1103

Classical 89 237 371 173 328 250

Italian -- 26 48 100 90 153

German -- 2 2 4 58 240

Spanish -- 13 14 14 47 32

Other European 4 10 13 22 49 53

Non-European 2 12 56 35 97 55

Total 114 342 670 664 1405 1886

Nativisation of Loanwords

• Words become assimilated and undistinguishable from indigenous English words,

• animal aunt chair change color cost• dinner escape flower poor table uncle •

Words may resist Nativisation to a greater or lesser degree

• billet doux • — n  , pl billets-doux old-fashioned , jocular or  a love lett

er [C17: from French, literally: a sweet letter, from billet  (see billet 1 ) + doux  sweet, from Latin dulcis ]

• exprit de corps• ----n, A common spirit of comradeship, enthusiasm, and

devotion to a cause among the members of a group. Synonyms : morale.

Effects of Borrowing

• Phonological effects: sk

• Grammatical effects: – Plural suffixes: -um(datum) => pl.) –a(data)– -us(fungus) => pl.) –i(fungi)– -a(larva) => pl.) –ae (larvae)– -is(thesis) => pl.) –es (theses)– -eau(bureau) => pl.)–x(bureau

x)

• Sementic effects:• (OE) deor: any beast=>deer • Because the French word animal was borrowed

• (OE) ceorfn :means cut => carve: special type of cutting• Because of the Norsemen’s verb cut

• (Swahili) safari:’jouney’=>touristic,game-viewing African trip

Loanwords from Non-European Languages

• pakeha(Maori) :white person• Sherpa, Tibetan people on Himalayas• Gurka, people of Nepal• samba(Brazil)• rhumba(Cuba)• tango(Argentina)• didgeridoo(Australia)• batik(Javanese)• vuvuzela(South Africa)

Indian Loanwords

• Due to the commerce between India and Britain, which was all colonising India was all about.

• Indian textiles– calico, chintz, dungaree

• Hinduism:Buddha, Brahmin, karma, pundit, yoga, yogi, mantra, nirvana, sutra

Food: chutney, chapati, curry, poppadomClothing: cashmere, pyjamas, khaki, mufti, saree

• Buildings and domestic:

bungalow, pagoda, cotAnimals and plants: mongoose, zebu, bhang, paddy, teak

• People and society:

Aryan (Sanskrit), pariah, sahib, coolie

Assorted: catamaran, cash(=small coin), chit, lilac, tattoo, loot, polo, swastika( Sanskrit), cushy, juggernaut, tom-tom

Japanese Loanwords

• Martial arts:

karate, kamikaze, samurai

• Others:

origami, kimono, haiku, kabuki, karaoke, Geisha, sumo, manga