On the Fate of Loanwords in a Language (the Case of the German Language)

Introduction. The  article  discusses  loanwords  as  one  of  the  ways  to  expand  lexis,  the attitude towards foreign language units in the German language community, in particular, purist  movements  and  efforts  to  preserve  purity  of  the  language,  a  brief  analysis  of loanwords in mo...

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Main Author: E. S. Alekseenko
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University 2023-06-01
Series:Дискурс
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Online Access:https://discourse.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/597
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author E. S. Alekseenko
author_facet E. S. Alekseenko
author_sort E. S. Alekseenko
collection DOAJ
description Introduction. The  article  discusses  loanwords  as  one  of  the  ways  to  expand  lexis,  the attitude towards foreign language units in the German language community, in particular, purist  movements  and  efforts  to  preserve  purity  of  the  language,  a  brief  analysis  of loanwords in modern German is carried out. Currently, loanwords, especially those form English, have a crucial role in the process of lexis evolution. Analyzing this  phenomenon and its perception by native speakers might help to suggest how the German language will evolve.Methodology  and  sources. In  the  course  of  the  study,  such  concepts  as  “language evolution”, “loanwords”, “purism” were analyzed and described. The materials for the study were  the  articles  of  such  linguists as  E.D.  Polivanov  and  M.D.  Stepanova  on  the development  and  expansion  of  lexis,  in  particular  the  one  of  the  German  language,  the works  of  sociolinguists,  L.P.  Krysin  and  I.V.  Belikov,  in  particular, related  to  language evolution, as well as modern studies of the German language.Results  and  discussion. The  article  highlights  modern  sociolinguistic  ideas  about language  evolution,  considers  loanwords  as  a  significant  part  of  this  process.  The diachronic  and  synchronic  analysis  of  foreign  language  elements  in  the  lexis  of  the German  language  is  carried  out,  the  main  milestones  in  the  development  of  purism  in Germany  are  presented.  The  development  of  a  language,  like  the  development  of  any society,  is  inevitably  influenced  by  foreign  cultures  that  bring  something  new;  isolated development  is  practically  impossible.  At  different  stages,  the  language  borrows  missing elements from the languages of those communities that have achieved greater success in one  area  or  another.  The  perception  of  borrowed  elements  is  directly  influenced  by  the mood in the language community, the political situation and other extralinguistic factors. The conducted research suggests that despite the not always positive attitude of members of  the  language  community  to  loanwords,  the  process  of  including  words  from  other languages into the lexis is inevitable.Conclusion. Borrowings are an inevitable consequence of linguistic evolution taking place in  close  contact  with  other  languages  and  cultures.  At  the  moment,  borrowings  are  an integral  part  of  the  lexis  of  the  German  language  and  are  an  essential  element  of  its development.
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spelling doaj-art-cb63eccd121b419fb2b212d0420196ed2025-08-20T03:40:02ZengSaint Petersburg Electrotechnical UniversityДискурс2412-85622658-77772023-06-019317618710.32603/2412-8562-2023-9-3-176-187552On the Fate of Loanwords in a Language (the Case of the German Language)E. S. Alekseenko0Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical UniversityIntroduction. The  article  discusses  loanwords  as  one  of  the  ways  to  expand  lexis,  the attitude towards foreign language units in the German language community, in particular, purist  movements  and  efforts  to  preserve  purity  of  the  language,  a  brief  analysis  of loanwords in modern German is carried out. Currently, loanwords, especially those form English, have a crucial role in the process of lexis evolution. Analyzing this  phenomenon and its perception by native speakers might help to suggest how the German language will evolve.Methodology  and  sources. In  the  course  of  the  study,  such  concepts  as  “language evolution”, “loanwords”, “purism” were analyzed and described. The materials for the study were  the  articles  of  such  linguists as  E.D.  Polivanov  and  M.D.  Stepanova  on  the development  and  expansion  of  lexis,  in  particular  the  one  of  the  German  language,  the works  of  sociolinguists,  L.P.  Krysin  and  I.V.  Belikov,  in  particular, related  to  language evolution, as well as modern studies of the German language.Results  and  discussion. The  article  highlights  modern  sociolinguistic  ideas  about language  evolution,  considers  loanwords  as  a  significant  part  of  this  process.  The diachronic  and  synchronic  analysis  of  foreign  language  elements  in  the  lexis  of  the German  language  is  carried  out,  the  main  milestones  in  the  development  of  purism  in Germany  are  presented.  The  development  of  a  language,  like  the  development  of  any society,  is  inevitably  influenced  by  foreign  cultures  that  bring  something  new;  isolated development  is  practically  impossible.  At  different  stages,  the  language  borrows  missing elements from the languages of those communities that have achieved greater success in one  area  or  another.  The  perception  of  borrowed  elements  is  directly  influenced  by  the mood in the language community, the political situation and other extralinguistic factors. The conducted research suggests that despite the not always positive attitude of members of  the  language  community  to  loanwords,  the  process  of  including  words  from  other languages into the lexis is inevitable.Conclusion. Borrowings are an inevitable consequence of linguistic evolution taking place in  close  contact  with  other  languages  and  cultures.  At  the  moment,  borrowings  are  an integral  part  of  the  lexis  of  the  German  language  and  are  an  essential  element  of  its development.https://discourse.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/597borrowings, purism, german language
spellingShingle E. S. Alekseenko
On the Fate of Loanwords in a Language (the Case of the German Language)
Дискурс
borrowings, purism, german language
title On the Fate of Loanwords in a Language (the Case of the German Language)
title_full On the Fate of Loanwords in a Language (the Case of the German Language)
title_fullStr On the Fate of Loanwords in a Language (the Case of the German Language)
title_full_unstemmed On the Fate of Loanwords in a Language (the Case of the German Language)
title_short On the Fate of Loanwords in a Language (the Case of the German Language)
title_sort on the fate of loanwords in a language the case of the german language
topic borrowings, purism, german language
url https://discourse.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/597
work_keys_str_mv AT esalekseenko onthefateofloanwordsinalanguagethecaseofthegermanlanguage