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
Classical
Italian
German
Spanish
Other European
Non-European
19
89
---4
2
42
237
26
2
13
10
12
166
371
48
2
14
13
56
316
173
100
4
14
22
35
736
328
90
58
47
49
97
1103
250
153
240
32
53
55
Total
114
342
670
664
1405
1886
Nativisation of Loanwords
• Words become assimilated and undistinguishable from
indigenous English words,
• animal
• dinner
•
aunt chair change
escape flower poor
color
table
cost
uncle
Words may resist Nativisation to a
greater or lesser degree
• billet doux
• — n , pl billets-doux old-fashioned , jocular or a love
letter [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(bureaux)
• 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
•Food:
Hinduism:
Clothing:
Buddha,
karma,
pundit, yoga, yogi,
chutney,Brahmin,
chapati, curry,
poppadom
cashmere,
pyjamas,
mantra,
nirvana,
sutrakhaki, mufti, saree
• Buildings and domestic:
Animals and plants:
bungalow, pagoda,
cot
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
Reference:
• English Words (book)
Francis Katamba
• THE END