The many Asian loanwords in English can tell us a lot about economic and cultural links between English speakers and Asians. Mathematicians at Oxford University were studying the algebra developed by the Arabs hundreds of years before British technology had any impact on Asia. Oranges and lemons were bought from Persian and Turkish traders long before the latter were interested in buying British manufactures. But the journey of such loanwords has often been indirect or unclear.Coffee comes from an Arabic name for a place in Africa but entered English via Turkish. 
Tea comes not from Mandarin (although its own term, cha, is also used by some English people) but from the Amoy dialect of southern China. Rice comes from a Tamil word but probably entered English via Arabic. Coolie might be from Chinese or Gujarati. Ketchup might be Chinese or Malay. Some words go back and forth, such as anime, which was borrowed and shortened by the Japanese and then returned to English to describe a particular genre of animation.Most Asian loanwords, such as sari and sushi, are closely associated with Asian culture. However, the association can fade away. When Americans describe remote areas of their country as boondocks, they don't think of the Philippines. Australians describing people who have gone crazy as running amok are not referring to Malays. Britons live in bungalows, use shampoo and complain about thugs without knowing anything about India.
As well as lending words to the English language, Asians have also invented new 'English-like' words. Walkman and discman were coined by Sony. Karaoke combines Japanese 'empty' with the first part of English 'orchestra'.
English speakers everywhere use Asian words, often unknowingly. But it is English speakers within Asia who use them most. Macquarie University's corpus of Asian English (Asiacorp) contains over four million words. The International Corpus of English (ICE) includes several Asian varieties of English, including Indian, Malaysian, Philippine and Singaporean. Asian Englishes include many words adopted from local languages, such as appa (a type of pancake in Sri Lanka and an 'elder sister' in Pakistan). They also use translations of local concepts, such as wet kitchen – an area for preparing raw food in Malaysian homes. Often, existing English words get new meanings: Singaporeans eat steamboat (a kind of stew) with their powerful (cool) friends before sending (driving) them home.
Asians born in America and Britain are yet another important influence on English. Kiss my chuddies! (kiss my underpants) became a popular (and mostly friendly) insult in the UK when Britons of Indian origin started saying it. And people all over Britain enjoy balti – a kind of cooking named after a Panjabi word for 'pot', but invented quite recently in the city of Birmingham.
When I was The third grade at a high school I went to Australia for home stay. I had trouble with a difference of the loan word. At the time of self-introduction I said to my host familys father I live mansion in TOKYO with my family. Mother was very surprised. You are very rich. Do you have helicopter? I understood from the contents of the question that I was misunderstood from ｍｙhost family. In Japan mansion is standard house but for rte people who speak English mansion is very big house. Brother who study Japanese culture in university was very interesting in this difference. We made friends immediately. We talked the difference which （コンセント）it mean electric point. The experience teach me a lesson which to know the word is not always correct. I
ReplyDeletethink the more people go to foreign countries and speak people the less difference loan word. So The Japanese Government helps young people to go to foreign countries more easy. There is new discovery by knowing a difference. It brings profit to Japan.
I think idea of spreading Asian's words in economic and cultural links is very interesting. I have supposed coffee and rice is English before read this blog. Interchanging between country and country lead interchangig between language and language. In the future Interntional exchange will more advnce, I think more many Asian language are made in Eglish. And worldwide big company like SONY make coinage is inflential step. Actually, now all people in the world know "ipod".
ReplyDeleteIt's quite interesting! I didn't know what Karaoke conbines with. I looked up those loanwords in dictionary. I found "karaoke and Sushi" But there were no "Edamame（枝豆)
ReplyDelete,karoushi（過労死） or Shiatsu（指圧）".But when I read an article, it said that those words have been English. I wonder when or who decides to accept foreign words as loanwords officially?
Loanwords is very interesting and mysterious.Because the journey of loanwords has been unclear. So it's usage or pronunciation are different from local area in same county. By the way how do filtere into one county considering loanwords to be formal words? Unfamiliar words,such a WALKMAN,become to spread among Japanese. But thoes words is becoming obsolete words right away. Such as a boombox (RAJIKASE).Such a point,I think loanwords is unclear.
ReplyDeleteI learned lots of things from this blog. I thought the words of coffee and tea come from English. And I think "Sushi" and ""Karaoke" are strongly associated with Japanese culture. Because when I talked with one of my American friends, I asked "what do you think about Japan or Japanese culture? And he said I love Japanese food like Sushi, Udon. Or I like Japanese anime. So now some of foreigner people think more Japanese culture as Japanese food like Sushi or Anime than buildings of world heritage. I also think the lownword like walkman is a kind of attractive advertisement, "you can listen to the music while walking" and there are a lot of words like that in Japan.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know English speakers use Asian words,often unknowingly. Loanwords are very very interesting and wonderful. I looked over through dictionary about loanwords. For example,"Orangutan" come from Indonesia. But I think that it come from English people. Because I think the English language is a mighty language.
ReplyDeleteHana Suzuki: Generally speaking, we are expected to use language, especially Japanese concisely and strictly in Japan. It might be one aspect of Japan as a racially almost homogeneous country.
ReplyDeleteReading this essay and I found that languages have no standard and are improving constantly, especially English.