Loanwords are words adopted by the speakers of one language froma different language (the source language). The abstract noun borrowing refers to the process of speakersadopting wordsfrom a source language into their native language.Ī loanword can also be called a borrowing. 'Loan' and'borrowing' are of course metaphors, because there is no literallending process. There is no transfer fromone language to another, and no 'returning' words tothe source language. The words simply come to be used by a speechcommunity that speaks a different language from the one these wordsoriginated in.īorrowing is a consequence of cultural contact between two languagecommunities. Borrowing of words can go in both directions between thetwo languages in contact, but often there is an asymmetry, such that more wordsgo from one side to the other.

In this case the source languagecommunity has some advantage of power, prestige and/or wealth thatmakes the objects and ideas it brings desirable and useful to the borrowinglanguage community. For example, the Germanic tribes in the first fewcenturies A.D. adopted numerous loanwords from Latin as theyadopted new products via trade with the Romans.

Few Germanic words, onthe other hand, passed into Latin. The actual process of borrowing is complex and involves many usageevents (i.e.

Terrarium tv download video reddit