Englishization

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. Englishisation is often paired with the introduction of Western culture into other cultures, 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. Other languages have also synthesised new literary genres through their contact with English, and various forms of "language play" have emerged through this interaction. Englishisation has also occurred in subtle ways because of the massive amount of English content that is translated into other languages.

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. 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. Another reason is that English is often considered a prestige language which symbolises or improves the educatedness or status of a speaker.

In some cases, Englishisation clashes with linguistic purism or the influence of other prestige languages, as is the case with the contested Hindustani language, 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.

Around the world

Africa

Pidgin Englishes are common throughout Africa, such as West African Pidgin English.

Asia

East Asia

Both Japanese and Korean have borrowed many words from English. In Japan, English words are often used in a "decorative" manner to make a message look more modern.

South Asia

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; even when Sanskrit words have been created to replace English words, they are often calqued off of English words.Revisiting the Making of Hindi as a ‘National’ Language
Ganpat Teli, M.Phil.

Europe

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. 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, and has resulted in altered interpretations of English words in some cases. Englishisation has occurred to some extent particularly in the business and finance-related vocabularies of various European languages. 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.

See also

* Anglicism
** Pseudo-anglicism
* English-based creole languages
*Translanguaging
* Westernization
** Americanization
** Francization
* International scientific vocabulary

References

{{English dialects
English language
English-language influence on other languages