BORROWINGS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Loanwords are words adopted by the speakers of one language from a different language (the source
language). A loanword can also be called a borrowing. The abstract noun borrowing refers to the
process of speakers adopting words from a source language into their native language. "Loan" and
"borrowing" are of course metaphors, because there is no literal lending process. There is no transfer
from one language to another, and no "returning" words to the source language. They simply come to
be used by a speech community that speaks a different language from the one they originated in.
Borrowing is a consequence of cultural contact between two language communities. Borrowing of
words can go in both directions between the two languages in contact, but often there is an asymmetry,
such that more words go from one side to the other. I chose this topic because I am interested in the
words in the English Language , and where do they come from.

The actual process of borrowing is complex and involves many usage events (i.e. instances of use of the
new word). Generally, some speakers of the borrowing language know the source language too, or at
least enough of it to utilize the relevant words. They adopt them when speaking the borrowing
language. If they are bilingual in the source language, which is often the case, they might pronounce the
words the same or similar to the way they are pronounced in the source language. Those who first use
the new word might use it at first only with speakers of the source language who know the word, but at
some point they come to use the word with those to whom the word was not previously known. To
these speakers the word may sound 'foreign'. At this stage, when most speakers do not know the word
and if they hear it think it is from another language, the word can be called a foreign word. There are
many foreign words and phrases used in English such as bon vivant (French), mutatis mutandis (Latin),
and Schadenfreude (German). However, in time more speakers can become familiar with a new foreign
word. The community of users can grow to the point where even people who know little or nothing of
the source language understand, and even use the novel word themselves. The new word becomes
conventionalized. At this point we call it a borrowing or loanword. (Not all foreign words do become
loanwords; if they fall out use before They become widespread, they do not reach the loanword stage.)
It is part of the cultural history of English speakers that they have always adopted loanwords from the
languages of whatever cultures they have come in contact with. There have been few periods when
borrowing became unfashionable, and there has never been a national academy in Britain, the U.S., or
other English-speaking countries to attempt to restrict new loanwords, as there has been in many
continental European countries.

The following list is a small sampling of the loanwords that came into English in different periods and
from different languages.

1. Panache
- Has anyone ever complimented you on your panache? Panache is the quality of being able
to do things in a confident and elegant way that other people find attractive. One synonym
is “flair”, which also comes from French, by the way ! For example : " He entertained London
society with great panache.”
- Origin
 Mid 16th century from French, from Italian pennacchio, from late Latin pinnaculum,
diminutive of pinna ‘feather’.
- Pronunciation
 panache/pəˈnaʃ/
**Example : The orchestra played with great panache

2. Fait accompli
- A loan word from French which is something that has already happened or been done and
that you cannot change. Example: Jack had been hemming and hawing over whether or not
to do the deal. So , while he was away at the lake, I signed the contract and presented him
with a fait accompli when he got back. He was mad, but whatever.
- Origin
 mid 19th century: from French, literally ‘accomplished fact’.
- Pronunciation
 Fait accompli /ˌfeɪt əˈkɒmpliː/
**Example: Jack had been hemming and hawing over whether or not to do the
deal. So, while he way away at the lake, I signed the contract and presented him
with a fait accompli when he got back. He was mad, but whatever.
3. Leg
- If English hadn’t borrowed the Old Nora “leggr” we might still out lower limbs
“shanks”. Old Norse was a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitant
that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlements from
about the (th to the 13th century.
 - Origin
 1225–75; 1915–20 for def 10; Middle English < Old Norse leggr
- Pronunciation
 leg[ leg ]
**Example : I hurt my leg the other day.
4. Klutz
- A klutz is a person who is very uncoordinated or clumsy. In other words, klutzes
often have 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.
- Origin
 1960s: from Yiddish klots ‘wooden block’.
- Pronunciation
 Klutz /klʌts/
** 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!
5. Montana
- From montana ( Spanish ) which means mountain .
- Montana is a state in the Northwestern United States.
- Montana is also a town and province in the Northwestern Bulgaria.
- Origin
 U.S. state, from Latinized form of Spanish montaña "mountain" (used in South
America specifically of the forested region on the eastern slopes of the Andes),
from Latin mont-, stem of mons .
- Pronunciation
 Montana /mɒnˈtænə/
** Example: Montana is a very strict with the citizens during the corona virus.
6. Telenovela
- “Soap opera”. It is a spanish word which is used a lot in the American series “ Jane the
Virgin”. Telenovelas are characterized by a continuing melodramatic story line and a
permanent cast.
- Origin
 American Spanish from tele(visión), television + novela, novel.
- Pronunciation
 Telenovela / te.le.no.ˈvɛ.la/
** Example: I just watched a telenovela, It was really fun !
7. Cigar
- While many of us know what a cigar is, the techical definiot is a “cylinder of dried and
fermented tobacco rolled in tobacco leaves for the purpose of smoking “.
- Origin
 The English terms originate from its Spanish equivalent “ Cigarro” , which too was
derived from another foreign language known as Mayan and was called “ Scar “.
- Pronunciation
 cigar /sɪˈɡɑː(r)
** Example: Can you give me a cigar? I forgot to bring mine .

8. Ketchup
- A condiment consisting of a thick, smooth-textured, spicy sauce usually made from
tomatoes.
- Origin
 Originating from its Chinese equal ‘Ke-stiap’, the word referred to as a
concoction of pickled fish and spices in 1692.
- Pronunciation
 Ketchup / ketch·up /
**Example: I always put ketchup on my french fries.

9. Cookie
- a small, flat, sweet food made from flour and sugar.
- Origin
 The English language derived the word ‘cookie’ from the Dutch term ‘Koekie’,
defined as akin to cake, to describe this loved sweet snack.
- Pronunciation
 Cookie /ˈkʊk.i/
**Example : I enjoy eating cookies.

10.Faux pas
- This phrase describes making a social mistake. Listen to the pronunciation here, since it
has several silent letters, including the “x” and the “s.”
If you make a faux pas, then the mistake usually isn’t very big and doesn’t hurt anyone
physically, but it can make people uncomfortable.
- Origin
  France, literally , false step.
- Pronunciation
 Faux pas /ˌfəʊ ˈpɑː/
** 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
10. Gesundheit
- Believe it or not, English speakers use this word! In German, this word means
“health.” Especially in the United States, people often say “Gesundheit!” as a
response when someone sneezes (others often say “bless you”).
- Origin
- German health from Middle High German gesuntheit from gesunt healthy from Old
High German gisunt
- Pronunciation
 Gesundheit /ɡəˈzʊnt.haɪt/
** Example : When I sneezed, my aunt said “Gesundheit” !

11. Waltz
- A waltz is a type of formal dance. The word is also used to describe the type of music
that plays during those dances, and it can also be used as a verb to describe the
action of dancing this dance.
- Origin
- abbreviation, abbreviated from German walzer from walzen, to roll, dance about,
waltz: for Indo-European base see walk of, for, or characteristic of a waltz
- Pronunciation
 Waltz /wɒls/
** 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.”
12. Schmooze
- This is a verb that means to talk with someone in a very friendly way, often to gain
some benefit for yourself.
- Origin
 western Yiddish shmuzn, variant, variety of Yiddish shmuesn from shmues, a
chat, literally , rumors, gossip, plural of shmue from Classical Hebrew (language)
shemua, rumor, news from shama, to hear
- Pronunciation
 Schmooze /ʃmuːz/
 **Example : At the meeting, the students were schmoozing with the president of
the club. They want his club to donate money to the university.

13. Piñata
- This is a happy word that describes a toy that is filled with candy. At parties, children
take turns trying to break it open with a stick so the candy will fall out.
- Origin
 Mexican Spanish from Sp, origin, originally , a pot from Italian pignatta,
ultimately from Classical Latin pinea, pine cone from pinus, pine tree
- Pronunciation
 Pinata /pɪnˈjɑː.tə/
** 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

14. Siesta
- A siesta is another name for “nap,” but it’s generally a nap that one takes in the
middle of the day, especially after eating or while taking a break from work.
People often take siestas in hot countries because the middle of the day is when the
heat is most intense. So it’s a good time to stay inside and sleep!
- Origin
 Spanish from Latin sexta (hōra) sixth (hour), midday feminine of sextus sixth
- Pronunciation
 Siesta /siˈes.tə/
**Example : Wow, since I ate that big plate of spaghetti, now I’m feeling super
tired. I think I’ll take a quick siesta before I get back to work.

15. Dim Sum

- Dim sum is a style of food that’s common in southern China (specifically in and near
Hong Kong). So it’s actually from the Cantonese dialect of Chinese.
- The word originally meant “touch your heart,” but now it’s just used to describe a
meal in a restaurant where the guests have many choices of small dishes of food.
Many of the foods are steamed in bamboo baskets, and there are also other dishes
like soup and fried bread
- Origin
 Chinese dialect, dialectal (Cantonese) tim sam from tim, dot + sam, heart
- Pronunciation
  Dim sum /ˌdɪm ˈsʌm/
** Example : Tony invited us to eat dim sum and we had a wonderful time! The
food was delicious, and the little pieces were actually easy to eat with chopsticks.

16. Gung – ho
- In Chinese this phrase means “work together,” but in English it’s used casually to
express that you’re excited or enthusiastic about something. We generally use it as
an adjective.
- Origin
 Chin, kung-ho, literally , work together: slogan of Lt. Colossians E. F. Carlson's
Marine Raiders in World War II.
- Pronunciation
 Gung ho /ˌɡʌŋˈhəʊ/
**Example : I was really gung-ho to eat dim sum, but when we got to the
Chinese restaurant it was closed for a holiday! We were all really disappointed.

A lot of the words that end up being loaned are part of the material culture of
the dominant group. Food, plants, animals, and tools migrate with the groups
that use them, and, of course, so do the words that describe those things. So,
when other cultures come into contact with those new people and their objects
and words, it’s no surprise that physical and linguistic exchanges take place.
Because those objects already have names, the borrowing culture tends to adopt
those names instead of inventing their own words. The new loanwords that the
receiving language incorporates into its lexicon usually start off sounding foreign
and might only be used in certain pockets of the community until they gradually
spread to more speakers over time.

Angela Gochevska 27860