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.[6] Englishisation has also occurred in subtle ways because of the massive amount of English content that is translated into other languages.[7]
Englishisation first happened on a worldwide scale because of British imperialism and later American dominance, as the language historically played a major role in the administration of the British Empire and is highly relevant in the modern wave of globalisation.[8][9][10] 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.[11] Another reason is that English is often considered a prestige language which symbolises or improves the educatedness or status of a speaker.[12]
In some cases, Englishisation clashes with linguistic purism or the influence of other prestige languages,[13] as is the case with the contested Hindustani language,[14] which in its Englishized form becomes Hinglish, but which some seek to instead Sanskritize or Persianize in part as a reaction to the colonial associations of the English language within South Asia.[5][15]
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.[16] 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,[17][18][19] and has resulted in altered interpretations of English words in some cases.[20] Englishisation has occurred to some extent particularly in the business and finance-related vocabularies of various European languages.[21] 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.[22]
See also: Hinglish |
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;[23][24][25][26] even when Sanskrit words have been created to replace English words, they are often calqued off of English words.[27][28][29]