Questions tagged [loanwords]
Questions about words borrowed by English from another language.
212
questions
15
votes
2answers
1k views
Term for anticipating counterarguments and rebutting them
There's this term for the rhetorical device of anticipating counterarguments and rebutting them, but I simply can't remember it.
Now I know what you're thinking - did you try googling it? Well I did,...
17
votes
5answers
5k views
Does the word “uzi” need to be capitalized?
"Uzi" is not contained in any Scrabble® dictionary that I can find online. I am assuming that the Scrabble® powers that be are treating it as a proper noun. However, after reading the Wikipedia ...
0
votes
1answer
29 views
The word “Comparison”
Declare - declaration. Proclaim - proclamation. Why isn't compare - comparation? For the 3 years that i've been studying the language intensively i've been always intuitively reading "comparison" as "...
4
votes
1answer
225 views
Is “adios” an English word now?
I recently heard an American being interviewed use the word "adios" casually in a sentence. The particular sense of the word seemed to be a sort of permanent "good bye."
Since the speaker was (as far ...
8
votes
2answers
365 views
Why is the English word of Chinese origin “Shih Tzu” used to refer to a dog breed not known in Chinese as “Shih Tzu”?
It is well known that it comes from a Wade-Giles transcription of the Mandarin Chinese word for "lion dog" (獅子狗 shih1-tzu0-kou3, from 獅子 "lion" + 狗 "dog"). This is part is indubitable. There's no ...
2
votes
4answers
2k views
Sad and Melancholy yet Beautiful
I have been struggling to find a word that I, at one time, had seen in my vocabulary lessons. I am trying to describe something that is "beautiful or attractive" yet also possessing "sadness or ...
-2
votes
1answer
65 views
Are words from other languages(especially European ones) also appropriated in the English language, like they do in case of Hindi/Sanskrit?
I observe that there are many words in Hindi/Sanskrit, the pronunciation of which, are appropriated by the International(especially US) English speaking crowd, for example:-
Yoga
Avatar
Ramayan
...
2
votes
2answers
116 views
how did the word CHARLATAN make its way into English [closed]
How did the word charlatan find its way into English?
0
votes
1answer
207 views
Do you capitalize yakuza?
When referring to the infamous Japanese criminal organization, which sentence would be correct?
The yakuza member picked up his glasses, scooped some of the jewelry and loose change into his ...
10
votes
2answers
515 views
Schools and Shoals
School, as a group of fish, entered Middle English:
late Middle English: from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schōle, of West Germanic origin; related to Old English scolu ‘troop’. (NOAD)
Shoal, ...
1
vote
1answer
59 views
A future loan-word for English that means the protective love one feels for children not your own [closed]
I am looking for words for a research project and possible commercial venture.
Is there one word in any other language that specifically means the protective love one feels for children that are not ...
12
votes
2answers
989 views
Word for a cushy position awarded to a crony? [duplicate]
I'm struggling to recall this word. If I recall correctly, it's of French origin. My search has so far been fruitless.
The nearest equivalent I came up with was the idiom pulling strings but that is ...
11
votes
1answer
163 views
Adding -s to French city names
This seems to be fairly common pattern. The modern English names of several French or French-related cities seem to add s for no obvious reason.
Marseille > Marseilles
Lyon > Lyons
Tanger ...
0
votes
1answer
28 views
“A comment is in place”
Does the following collocation exist in English?
a comment is in place
If not, do you recognize it as an improper loan from another language? It is used by a writer to communicate that, before ...
0
votes
0answers
40 views
Have any English words been turned foreign only to be then used again in English in an altered state? [duplicate]
What are some examples of English words that got taken into use in a foreign language in a changed state, and then subsequently re-entered the English language in state B or even state C.
12
votes
7answers
3k views
For native speakers, what are dumplings? [closed]
When I started to learn English, my teacher told me dumplings is a translation for Chinese 饺子 (a food, also widely found in Japan or Korea). But after a few years, I was surfing on the internet and ...
2
votes
1answer
92 views
How to know if a word borrowed from another language is now an official English word [closed]
I posted here a question asking how to say "kilig" (a Filipino word that means a feeling of joy, agitation, or happiness felt when someone you fancy, love, or like makes an unexpected gesture of ...
8
votes
2answers
251 views
History of additional sounds introduced to English
Today I was curious about the rarity of the consonant cluster sr in the English language. I found a WordReference forum from 2006 that asked about the matter.
The general response is that because ...
3
votes
4answers
1k views
What's an example of a 'cheville' word in english?
The dictionary.com word of the day is 'Cheville' and it explains it as such: A word or expression whose only function is to fill a metrical gap in a verse or to balance a sentence.
Can anyone give ...
3
votes
1answer
84 views
Rule/pattern about using loan words for monarchs?
We call the monarchs of Germany, Russia and Ancient Egypt "Kaiser", "Tzar/Czar" and "Pharaoh" respectively, but the monarchs of France, Spain, China and Japan "king" or "emperor". Is there any sort ...
40
votes
2answers
7k views
Is the etymology of “salary” a myth?
Since, perhaps forever, I had always ‘known’ that the English word salary was derived from the Latin salarium, to the time when Roman soldiers were paid in salt for their service. Salt was a highly-...
2
votes
2answers
255 views
Do you italicize the contraction attached to a foreign word?
I know you italicize words in other languages when writing. But what if you add a contraction? Is it abuela's or abuela's?
0
votes
2answers
1k views
What is the definition of 'Wagenheims'? [closed]
I'm reading an English translation of Notes from the Underground by Dostoevsky and I came across the sentence
They express the consciousness that you have no enemy to punish, but
that you have ...
5
votes
1answer
177 views
What is the first known Japanese loan word that entered the English language?
I would like to ask here a similar question I have asked in the Spanish language stack. It is known that nowadays the English language has a lot a words of Japanese origin. But what was the first one ...
1
vote
3answers
129 views
What is the purpose of changing “Nürnberg” to “Nuremberg” in English language?
For the longest time ever I assumed these are two different places and was very confused about never knowing where Nuremberg is. Recently I found out that Nuremberg is the English form for Nürnberg.
...
1
vote
1answer
741 views
Single word for 'greater purpose'
I have heard this word, but I just can't remember it. It is a 3 to 5 letter word, probably 2 syllabled, and begins with letter T.
I am not totally sure if it's an English word. The context I have ...
9
votes
2answers
1k views
The history of the English “postmeridian”
There's a question on English Language Learners that's been making the rounds recently, it's been on the Hot Network Questions list since January 5 this year and has attracted something like 36,000 ...
1
vote
1answer
325 views
What nouns of German origin should be given capital letters?
On another post an interesting fact has just been discovered about the OED's treatment of nouns adopted into English from German (loan-words).
A lot of them e.g. Nazi are spelled with a capital ...
1
vote
0answers
646 views
When did the pronunciation of “piranha” change?
"Piranha" is a Portuguese rendering of a Tupi word referring to a sharp-toothed fish with an unfortunate reputation. The correct pronunciation of this word is something like /pɪˈɹɑːnjə/. However, the "...
1
vote
1answer
441 views
Correct spelling of Chinese name in English? [closed]
In Buddhism, there is a deity called Skanda. In Chinese, his name is Wei Tuo.
See for example this link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skanda_(Buddhism)
However, my question is, what is the actual ...
1
vote
1answer
129 views
Term for someone who wears a burqa
A person who wears a hijab is sometimes called a hijabi, a person who wears a niqab is sometimes called a niqabi. Is there an equivalent term for someone who wears a burqa? According to Wiktionary ...
7
votes
1answer
4k views
What lies behind the etymology of the word dandelion?
I am puzzled by the etymology of the word dandelion. I am aware that it is derived from the French “dent-de-lion”, meaning 'lion's tooth' (because of the jagged shape of the leaves).
What puzzles ...
31
votes
7answers
2k views
Usage of diacritics in loanwords
I was told here that not using diacritics (specifically the cedilla) is bad usage for those who know — I assume — their diacritics.
Is that correct?
Is garcon a correct spelling, in English, of the ...
4
votes
3answers
5k views
Does “garçon” mean male waiters only, not female waitresses?
Does garçon mean (male) waiters only, not waitresses? I can’t find a site which addresses that question, though etymologically, and in French, it means “boy”.
0
votes
2answers
248 views
Is “hanbok” considered a countable noun?
Is "hanbok" considered a countable noun, or an uncountable noun?
I assumed that "hanbok" meant a specific clothing item, and is therefore countable, and therefore "she wore a hanbok" would be proper ...
1
vote
1answer
1k views
Are there other words in American English that use the same vowel sound as the “as” in “Pasta”?
Obviously, pasta is a loanword, but generally loanwords are pronounced with the closest vowels which already exist in the language.
In American English, the "a" in pasta is the same vowel that I hear ...
-2
votes
1answer
7k views
One espresso, or two espressi? A double espresso or two espressos? What's the plural of espresso? [closed]
What is the plural of "Espresso"? Some places, especially in Europe spell it "Espressi", some ask for two espresso's. It seems that in Italy, the masculine plural of a noun generally does end with -...
9
votes
2answers
2k views
Was the -s in Athens originally the plural -s?
In Greek and Latin, some cities, like Athens and Thebes, are pluralia tantum, that is, they are always plural. In English, on the other hand, both names are singular, at least in modern English. It ...
asked Mar 14 '17 at 15:15
Cerberus_Reinstate_Monica
56.9k3 gold badges131 silver badges215 bronze badges
29
votes
5answers
6k views
Will the word 'schadenfreude' be understood in an English text?
In the context of a creative work, can I use the word 'schadenfreude'? For example:
I experienced immense schadenfreude when my friend slipped on a banana peel.
Will it be understood by a general ...
7
votes
2answers
2k views
Accepted plural form of “Hijab”
Although hijab is not an English word, it is commonly used in English to describe the head scarf worn by many Moslem women.
I was pretty sure I had just heard Christiane Amanpour of CNN call the ...
1
vote
1answer
179 views
Usage of English variants of foreign place names (Regensburg - Ratisbon)
Many place names have different form/spelling in English and in the original language of the country, in which they lie, e.g. Lyons x Lyon, The Hague x Den Haag, Munich x München. Most of them are ...
-1
votes
1answer
1k views
Why are there two versions of the word “tabu”/“taboo”?
From the difference between:
Tabu is an alternative form of taboo.
And no further explanations provided.
Which one of them is the right one? Is it the difference between British and American ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
Is “Halaal” an invalid spelling of “halal”?
In Someone Trolled Pauline Hanson By Sending Her A Jar of Halal-Certified Vegemite, "halaal" is described as an invalid spelling of "halal":
An enterprising Australian has sent a jar of Vegemite to ...
16
votes
2answers
2k views
“newfangled”, “fandangle” and “fandango”
I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?
Anyone who's over 30 years should recognize the lyrics of Queen's epic song Bohemian Rhapsody
A fandango is ...
2
votes
3answers
282 views
Two synonyms each of Saxon and French origin where the Saxon word is “classier” [closed]
To clarify the title, i am looking for two words in the English vocabulary. Normally in English words of French origin are seen as fancier and used by intelligent and upper class people. But is there ...
-1
votes
1answer
208 views
what does effei mean, and where is it from?
I'm not a native English speaker, but i think you'll understand me.
I've recently seen a billboard that had a word like "effei" in it, so I googled it. The effei seems to stand for European Federation ...
1
vote
0answers
88 views
Digital imitation of an analog aesthetic
There is a word that refers to the aesthetic of a digital representation, imitation, or emulation of an analog device or its components.
Such as an analog clock displayed on a digital screen. Apple ...
-1
votes
3answers
386 views
Term or phrase for attempting to gaslight a large group
Gaslighting or gas-lighting is a form of psychological abuse in which a victim is manipulated into doubting their own memory,
perception, and sanity. -Wikipedia
But gaslighting "a victim" implies ...
3
votes
2answers
408 views
What rules govern uniform mispronounciation of romance languages? [closed]
As someone who isn’t a native speaker of English, I’m often fascinated by how those who are seem to change the pronunciation of words originally from French, Italian, Spanish, and so on in a seemingly ...
23
votes
7answers
3k views
Should foreign words used in English be inflected for gender, number, and case according to the conventions of their source language?
Is there a general rule for whether, for, example, foreign nouns and adjectives used in English should be inflected for gender, number, and case as they would be if the entire text were written in the ...
