22 Feb 2008 03:51:33 | Linda Correli
Etymologically the vocabulary of the English language is far
from being homogenous. It consists of two layers - the native
stock of words and the borrowed stock of words. Numerically the
borrowed stock of words is considerably larger than the native
stock of words.
In fact native words comprise only 30% of the total number of
words in the English vocabulary but the native words form the
bulk of the most frequent words actually used in speech and
writing. Besides, the native words have a wider range of lexical
and grammatical valency, they are highly polysemantic and
productive in forming word clusters and set expressions.
Borrowed words or loanwords are words taken from another
language and modified according to the patterns of the receiving
language.
In many cases a borrowed word especially one borrowed long ago
is practically indistinguishable from a native word without a
thorough etymological analysis. The number of the borrowings in
the vocabulary of the language and the role played by them is
determined by the historical development of the nation speaking
the language.
The most effective way of borrowing is direct borrowing from
another language as the result of the contacts with other
nations. Though, a word may be also borrowed indirectly not from
the source language but through another language.
When analyzing borrowed words one should distinguish between two
terms - source of borrowing and origin of borrowing. The first
term is applied to the language from which the word was
immediately borrowed and the second - to the language to which
the word may be ultimately traced. The closer the two
interacting languages are in structure the easier it is for
words of one language to penetrate into the other.
There are different approaches to classifying the borrowed stock
of words.
The borrowed stock of words may be classified according to the
nature of the borrowing itself as borrowing proper, loans
translation and semantic loans. Loan translation or calque is a
phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word
translation.
Semantic loan is the borrowing of the meaning for a word already
existing in the English language.
Latin loans are classified into the subgroups.
I. Early Latin loans. Those are the words which came into
English language through the languages of the Anglo-Saxon
tribes. The tribes had been in contact with Roman civilization
and had adopted many Latin words denoting objects belonging to
that civilization long before the invasion of the Angles, Saxons
and Judes into Britain (e.g., cup, kitchen, mill, wine, port).
II. Later Latin borrowings. To this group belong the words which
penetrated into English language in the sixth and seventh
centuries, when the English people were converted to
Christianity (e.g., priest, bishop, nun, and candle).
III. The third period of the Latin borrowings includes words
which came into English due to two historical events: the Norman
Conquest and the Renaissance. Some came to English language
through French but some were borrowed directly from Latin (e.g.,
major, minor, intelligent, permanent).
IV. The latest layer of Latin words. The words of this period
are mainly abstract and scientific words (e.g., nylon,
molecular, vaccine, phenomenon, and vacuum).
The tendency of the English language to borrow extensively can
be traced during the centuries. Thus, one can confidently claim
that borrowing is one of the most productive sources of
enrichment of the English vocabulary.
About Author :
