Englishisation Explained

Englishisation refers to the introduction of English-language influences into other languages. English, as a world language, has had a very significant impact on other languages, with many languages borrowing words or grammar from English or forming calques based on English words.[1] Englishisation is often paired with the introduction of Western culture into other cultures,[2] and has resulted in a significant degree of code-mixing of English with other languages as well as the appearance of new varieties of English.[3] [4] Other languages have also synthesised new literary genres through their contact with English,[5] and various forms of "language play" have emerged through this interaction. Englishisation has also occurred in subtle ways because of the massive amount of English content that is translated into other languages.[6]

Englishisation first happened on a worldwide scale because of the spread of the British Empire and American cultural influence, as the English language historically played a major role in the administration of Britain's colonies and is highly relevant in the modern wave of globalisation.[7] [8] One of the reasons for Englishisation is because other languages sometimes lacked vocabulary to talk about certain things, such as modern technologies or scientific concepts.[9] Another reason is that English is often considered a prestige language which symbolises or improves the educatedness or status of a speaker.[10]

In some cases, Englishisation clashes with linguistic purism or the influence of other prestige languages,[11] as is the case with the contested Hindustani language,[12] which in its Englishised form becomes Hinglish, but which some seek to instead Sanskritise or Persianise in part as a reaction to the colonial associations of the English language within South Asia.[13]

Around the world

See also: English-based creole languages.

Africa

Pidgin Englishes are common throughout Africa, such as West African Pidgin English.[14]

Swahili, which is common in the former British colonies of East Africa, has been intentionally Englishised in order to allow for more conversation around modern technologies and concepts.[15]

Americas

See also: Spanglish and Influences on the Spanish language. The Spanish language, which is widespread in the Americas, typically received loanwards from British English (often through French) until the 1950s, when American English's influence became more prominent.[16]

Northern America

See also: Native American English and African-American Vernacular English. Spanish as spoken in the United States has significant amounts of English influence, dating back to the early 19th century and America's southwestern territorial expansion into Mexico.[17]

Latin America and the Caribbean

English influences are common in Puerto Rican Spanish, due to the Americanisation of the island since the turn of the 20th century.[18]

Asia

East Asia

See also: Wasei-eigo and North–South differences in the Korean language. Both Japanese and Korean have borrowed many words from English.[19] In Japan, English words are often used in a "decorative" manner to make a message look more modern.[20]

In China, English vocabulary had a minimal influence on local languages, with new words often being coined to replace historical English loanwords. This is due in part to the Chinese writing system, which favours words which can be broken down into meaningful components.[21] An exception to this is Hong Kong Cantonese, which has many words from English due to British rule in the city until 1997.[22] Taiwan also tends to borrow more words directly from English. However, English grammar did have an influence on Chinese due to the amount of material being translated between the two languages during the Westernisation of China.[23]

South Asia

See also: Hinglish and South Asian English. English has been accepted in South Asia to some extent because of its neutrality i.e. its lack of association with any ethnic group within South Asia. It has played a significant role in enabling migration within India, and contributes a major share of the vocabulary used in more technical fields;[24] [25] [26] [27] even when Sanskrit words have been created to replace English words, they are often calqued off of English words.[28] [29] [30]

Due to the nature and long duration of British rule in India, some of the English words used are of military origin or are now obscure in the rest of the English-speaking world.[31]

Southeast Asia

See also: Singlish.

The English language has had a significant influence on Tagalog since the 1898 American acquisition of the Philippines.[32]

West Asia

English has had a growing presence in the Middle East due to the need for locals to interact with expatriate workers.[33] Modern Standard Arabic has been noted for incorporating new speech reporting styles (ways of quoting other people's words) due to Englishisation.[34] The Turkish language has become more open to English influences due to Turkey's Westernisation in the early 20th century and adoption of the Latin alphabet.[35]

Because English is among the most common languages in Israel, it has also influenced Modern Hebrew,[36] though it has less presence in the Arab areas.[37] English's role in Israel became more prevalent with the 1967 Six-Day War and later cultural Americanisation.[38]

Europe

See also: English language in Europe and History of English.

The initial spread of the English language took place with continental Europeans who conquered England. England then spread the language through the rest of the British Isles, sometimes through conquest.

Some languages in Europe, such as some of the Scandinavian languages, have been prone to significant Englishisation, while other languages, such as Icelandic, have tended towards linguistic purism.[39] The similarity and long-standing history of English having connections with Western European languages has played a role in its modern-day influence on them,[40] [41] [42] and has resulted in altered interpretations of English words in some cases.[43] Englishisation has occurred to some extent particularly in the business and finance-related vocabularies of various European languages.[44] Some impacts of Englishisation have worn off over time, as Englishisation sometimes takes place in a way that is too "trendy" and which does not become well-absorbed into a given language.[45]

There is also research around the increasing usage of English in European universities.[46]

Oceania

Several English-based creoles were formed in Oceania during the colonial period, with even the English spoken in British colonies such as Australia and New Zealand mixing with local languages. In modern times, the appeal of Australia and New Zealand has served to bolster the English language in the region.[47]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Bolton . Kingsley . World Englishes: Critical Concepts in Linguistics . Kachru . Braj B. . 2006 . Taylor & Francis . 978-0-415-31509-8 . en.
  2. Shibata . Ayako . 2009 . Englishization in Asia: Language and Cultural Issues . Asian Englishes . en . 12 . 2 . 84–87 . 10.1080/13488678.2009.10801262 . 154078463 . 1348-8678.
  3. Book: Bolton . Kingsley . World Englishes: Critical Concepts in Linguistics . Kachru . Braj B. . 2006 . Taylor & Francis . 978-0-415-31509-8 . en.
  4. Book: The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics . 2013-01-30 . Wiley . 978-1-4051-9473-0 . Chapelle . Carol A. . 1 . en . 10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal0550.pub2. 236410953 .
  5. Book: Kachru . Yamuna . World Englishes in Asian Contexts . Nelson . Cecil L. . 2006-04-01 . Hong Kong University Press . 978-962-209-755-1 . en.
  6. Book: Kruger . Alet . Corpus-Based Translation Studies: Research and Applications . Wallmach . Kim . Munday . Jeremy . 2011-06-16 . Bloomsbury Publishing . 978-1-4411-8919-6 . en.
  7. Boussebaa . Mehdi . Brown . Andrew D. . 2017 . Englishization, Identity Regulation and Imperialism . Organization Studies . en . 38 . 1 . 7–29 . 10.1177/0170840616655494 . 148270845 . 0170-8406.
  8. Khan . Mansoor Ahmed . The Future of English by David Graddol .
  9. Schneider . Edgar W. . 2014 . New reflections on the evolutionary dynamics of world Englishes . World Englishes . en . 33 . 1 . 9–32 . 10.1111/weng.12069 . 0883-2919.
  10. Book: Kachru, Braj B. . The Other Tongue: English Across Cultures . 1992 . University of Illinois Press . 978-0-252-06200-1 . en.
  11. News: Mikanowski . Jacob . 2018-07-27 . Behemoth, bully, thief: how the English language is taking over the planet . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-11-14 . 0261-3077.
  12. Yamuna Kachru. "Corpus planning for modernization: Sanskritization and Englishization of Hindi". Studies in the Linguistic Sciences, Vol. 19, No. 1, Spring 1989, pages 153-164
  13. Book: Rauch . Irmengard . Linguistic Method: Essays in Honor of Herbert Penzl . Carr . Gerald F. . 2018-02-19 . Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG . 978-3-11-081566-5 . en.
  14. Web site: Mesthrie . Rajend . 2016-07-24 . How the Queen’s English has had to defer to Africa’s rich multilingualism . 2024-05-01 . The Conversation . en-US.
  15. Kishe . Anne J. . 1994 . The Englishization of Tanzanian Kiswahili . World Englishes . en . 13 . 2 . 185–201 . 10.1111/j.1467-971X.1994.tb00306.x . 0883-2919.
  16. Book: Penny, Ralph John . A History of the Spanish Language . 2002-10-21 . Cambridge University Press . 978-0-521-01184-6 . en.
  17. Web site: The influence of English on U.S. Spanish: Introduction - ProQuest . 2024-11-08 . www.proquest.com . en.
  18. Web site: DesRochers . Aly . Research Guides: Yo Soy (I am): The Historical Trajectory of Language in Puerto Rico: English Language Influence . 2024-11-08 . guides.loc.gov . en.
  19. Yoneoka . Judy . 2005 . The Striking Similarity between Korean and Japanese English Vocabulary: — historical and linguistic relationships — . Asian Englishes . en . 8 . 1 . 26–47 . 10.1080/13488678.2005.10801153 . 1348-8678.
  20. Web site: Jozuka . Emiko . 2020-02-26 . When languages collide: How Japanese and English merged to create a new language . 2024-05-01 . CNN . en.
  21. Zhang . Liulin . 2024-01-03 . On the Chinese resistance to lexical borrowing: a writing-driven self-purification system . Humanities and Social Sciences Communications . en . 11 . 1 . 1–9 . 10.1057/s41599-023-02556-3 . 2662-9992. free .
  22. Web site: 2016-01-21 . Hongkongers mix English and Cantonese into new language, Kongish . 2024-10-29 . South China Morning Post . en.
  23. HSU . JIA‐LING . 1994 . Englishization and language change in modern Chinese in Taiwan . World Englishes . 13 . 2 . 167–184 . 10.1111/j.1467-971x.1994.tb00305.x . 0883-2919.
  24. Book: Cheshire, Jenny . English around the World: Sociolinguistic Perspectives . 1991-04-26 . Cambridge University Press . 978-1-316-58235-0 . en.
  25. Book: Rauch . Irmengard . Linguistic Method: Essays in Honor of Herbert Penzl . Carr . Gerald F. . 2018-02-19 . Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG . 978-3-11-081566-5 . en.
  26. Book: Hodges . Amy . Going Global: Transnational Perspectives on Globalization, Language, and Education . Seawright . Leslie . 2014-09-26 . Cambridge Scholars Publishing . 978-1-4438-6761-0 . en.
  27. Book: Kachru, Braj B. . The Alchemy of English: The Spread, Functions, and Models of Non-native Englishes . 1986 . University of Illinois Press . 978-0-252-06172-1 . en.
  28. Hock . Hans Henrich . 1992 . A note on English and modern Sanskrit . World Englishes . en . 11 . 2–3 . 163–171 . 10.1111/j.1467-971X.1992.tb00061.x . 0883-2919.
  29. https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/12671283/v12i1jan2012.pdf?1335948499=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DCauses_of_Secondary_Students_Failure_in.pdf&Expires=1698609162&Signature=XZsWIsQiB1cYv9jxH~Og2KB3OLsIu5JuuzMLHkHh60baMyR7iNPIFm04THGkA03MfzgI1HeEiemB2B4ceynSGOF1dXZsHa8spCcf8BbcpnpxgQWXvvcw6OARSjT6iUxc83UVXjSaZo6LMDxpNeRjNGsTgHxbThcZrJI9ZR5AyBqVuvZ6l3Fptogi522CsO-D6bvpxLcQ5T9IuOgf1uMeaFjOjjLPrWEULGrFv8Gdu8sSLYE~uJirCi2x09HRTPTbaWvYDAgmRijign-18dzRRABFDx1YOC~QQI-mlWkyekZFRajummqjr8xN1kDw7bYIQ5bGF~oceZKXEA-09X8gaA__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA#page=6 Revisiting the Making of Hindi as a ‘National’ Language
  30. D'Souza . Jean . 1987 . English in India's language modernization . World Englishes . en . 6 . 1 . 63–70 . 10.1111/j.1467-971X.1987.tb00177.x . 0883-2919.
  31. News: 2014-06-30 . English explodes in India - and it's not just Hinglish . 2024-11-24 . BBC News . en-GB.
  32. On the Influence of English on the Tagalog Language The Archive . en-US.
  33. Book: Hewish, Tim . Old friends, new deals : the route to the UK's global prosperity through international networks . 2014 . London : Institute of Economic Affairs . 67.
  34. Al-Wahy . Ahmed Seddik . 2021-08-01 . The influence of English on Modern Standard Arabic speech reporting styles: A corpus-based study . Lingua . 259 . 103084 . 10.1016/j.lingua.2021.103084 . 0024-3841.
  35. Zok . David . 2010 . Turkey’s Language Revolution and the Status of English Today . The English Languages: History, Diaspora, Culture . en . 1 . 1929-5855.
  36. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/0449010X.1956.10704036 The Impact of English on Modern Hebrew
  37. Shohamy . Elana . 2014 . The Weight of English in Global Perspective: The Role of English in Israel . Review of Research in Education . 38 . 273–289 . 0091-732X.
  38. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377592381_Foreign_Influences_on_Modern_Hebrew Foreign Influences on Modern Hebrew
  39. Filipović . R. . 1977-01-01 . English Words in European Mouths and Minds . Folia Linguistica . en . 11 . 3–4 . 195–206 . 10.1515/flin.1977.11.3-4.195 . 1614-7308 . 145280920.
  40. Furiassi . Cristiano . 2012 . The Anglicization of European Lexis . en . 1–366.
  41. Book: Rosenhouse . Judith . Globally Speaking: Motives for Adopting English Vocabulary in Other Languages . Kowner . Rotem . 2008-05-22 . Multilingual Matters . 978-1-78309-153-9 . en.
  42. Book: Görlach, Manfred . A Dictionary of European Anglicisms: A Usage Dictionary of Anglicisms in Sixteen European Languages . 2001 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-823519-4 . en.
  43. Book: Görlach, Manfred . English in Europe . 2002-05-23 . OUP Oxford . 978-0-19-158069-7 . en.
  44. Anglemark . Linnéa . John . Andrew . 2018 . The Use of English-Language Business and Finance Terms in European Languages . International Journal of Business Communication . en . 55 . 3 . 406–440 . 10.1177/2329488418768698 . 2329-4884 . 158407633.
  45. Book: Görlach, Manfred . English in Europe . 2002-05-23 . OUP Oxford . 978-0-19-158069-7 . en.
  46. Hultgren . Anna Kristina . 2014-06-01 . English language use at the internationalised universities of Northern Europe: Is there a correlation between englishisation and world rank? . Multilingua - Journal of Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage Communication . en . 33 . 3-4 . 389–411 . 10.1515/multi-2014-0018 . 1613-3684.
  47. Da Silva . Diego Barbosa 1 1 National Archives of Brazil (AN) . 2019 . Language Policy in Oceania: In the Frontiers of Colonization and Globalization . English . 327–356 . 10.1590/1981-5794-1909-4. free .

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