Languages are dynamic systems that constantly evolve through internal developments and external influences. One of the most fascinating processes shaping languages worldwide is lexical borrowing, whereby a language adopts words from another language. These adopted words, known as loanwords, illustrate how cultures influence each other and how languages expand to meet new needs.

What Are Loanwords?

Loanwords are words taken directly from a source language (donor language) into a target language (recipient language) without translation. For example, English has borrowed ballet from French, kindergarten from German, and karaoke from Japanese. While loanwords usually retain their original meaning, their pronunciation, spelling, and sometimes meaning often shift to fit the phonological and morphological patterns of the borrowing language.

Why Do Languages Borrow Words?

Languages borrow words for several reasons: 1. Trade and commerce: Interaction between traders and travellers leads to the exchange of goods and vocabulary. For example, safari entered English from Swahili. 2. Colonisation and conquest: Colonisers often introduce their language, and local languages also influence the colonisers’ language. Spanish words like patio and ranch entered English this way. 3. Technology and invention: When new inventions arise, languages borrow the terms. For example, many languages borrowed the English word computer. 4. Cultural influence: Music, food, fashion, and art also bring loanwords. Think of words like ballet (French) or kimono (Japanese).

How Do Languages Adapt Loanwords?

Borrowed words rarely remain in their original form. They are usually adapted to fit the phonetics, spelling rules, and grammar of the borrowing language. This process is called nativisation.

• Phonetic adjustment: Sounds that don’t exist in the borrowing language are replaced. For example, Japanese pronounces coffee as kōhī.
• Spelling changes: To match writing conventions, spellings are altered, as in the English karaoke from Japanese karaokē.
• Grammatical adaptation: Loanwords often take on the grammatical endings of the new language. In Spanish, the English word club becomes el club and takes Spanish plural forms (los clubes).

Are Loanwords a Threat to Languages?

Some worry that excessive borrowing, especially from dominant languages like English, may dilute or endanger smaller languages. Words like email, selfie, and internet have replaced indigenous terms in many languages. However, others argue that borrowing is natural and enriches a language rather than weakening it. Many languages actively create native alternatives to resist borrowing. For example, Icelandic coined tölva (“number prophet”) instead of borrowing computer, and Hebrew revived and modernised many ancient words rather than adopting foreign ones.

Loanwords are evidence of human connection and cultural exchange. They show how flexible and creative languages can be in responding to change. Instead of seeing borrowed words as intrusions, we can view them as bridges between cultures, making languages richer and more expressive.