In a webinar convened by the Language Research Center on March 10, 2021, Dr. Shazia Tabassum shed light on the topic of "Lexical Borrowing: French Loan Words into English." The session revolved around the enrichment of the English language lexicon through borrowing from other languages.
🗣️ Webinar: Lexical Borrowing
"Lexical Borrowing: French Loan Words into English"
Presenter: Dr. Shazia Tabassum | Date: March 10, 2021
Organizer: Language Research Center
Dr. Tabassum kicked off her presentation by illuminating an intriguing fact: English is not a pure language lexically, but a heterogeneous one. She attributed this unique characteristic to the language's exposure to myriad cultural shifts throughout history. The English lexicon, she elaborated, consists of words from diverse languages globally. As a consequence, she underscored, many routinely used words in spoken and written English are borrowed from non-English speaking countries. She cited linguist David Crystal's portrayal of English as an "insatiable borrower."
🌍 English: A Global Lexical Tapestry
Key Insight: English is lexically heterogeneous, not pure, due to historical cultural shifts.
David Crystal: Describes English as an "insatiable borrower." Many routine words are borrowed.
Tabassum proceeded to clarify the concept of Lexical Borrowing, describing it as the adaptation of words from a donor language for use in a recipient language. She underscored that this process can be reciprocal, as a recipient language can fascinatingly turn into a donor language. Furthermore, she highlighted the pivotal role of lexical borrowing in fostering bilingualism.
Moving on, Tabassum elaborated on the historical causes of lexical borrowing, such as foreign invasions, wars, and international trade and travel. The majority of English lexical items, she noted, are derived from Greek, Latin, and French, with additional donor languages like Chinese, Arabic, Turkish, Hindi, and Urdu. She shared an intriguing statistic that 70% of modern English words are borrowed from other languages, with French being the leading donor.
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Understanding Lexical Borrowing
Adaptation of words from a donor to a recipient language; can be reciprocal, fosters bilingualism.
Historical Causes: Invasions, wars, trade, travel.
Key Donors to English: Greek, Latin, French (leading), Chinese, Arabic, Turkish, Hindi, Urdu.
~70% of modern English words are borrowed.
In an illustrative segment of her presentation, Tabassum demonstrated the parallels and distinctions between English words and their French counterparts, providing examples of commonly used French loan words and phrases in English. She also drew attention to gender attribution for inanimate objects in French.
🇫🇷 French Influence: Loan Words & Gender
Demonstration of parallels/distinctions between English words and French counterparts.
Examples of common French loan words & phrases in English were provided.
Attention drawn to gender attribution for inanimate objects in French.
Tabassum's final emphasis was on the learner-centered approach to vocabulary instruction in language classes, underscoring its importance in effective language learning.
The webinar was deemed a resounding success, characterized by active participation from faculty members and both Ph.D. and MA students.
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Effective Language Learning & Webinar Success
Final emphasis on learner-centered vocabulary instruction.
Resounding success with active participation from faculty and Ph.D. & MA students.
