An amalgamation of the flags that represent the United States and the United Kingdom, the two countries at the forefront of spreading English across the world
Englishisation refers to the introduction ofEnglish-language influences into other languages. English, as aworld language, has had a very significant impact on other languages, with many languages borrowing words or grammar from English or formingcalques based on English words.[1] Englishisation is often paired with the introduction ofWestern culture into other cultures,[2] and has resulted in a significant degree ofcode-mixing of English with other languages as well as the appearance of newvarieties 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 the spread of theBritish Empire andAmerican cultural influence, as the English language historically played a major role in the administration of Britain's colonies and is highly relevant in the modern wave ofglobalisation.[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 aprestige language which symbolises or improves the educatedness or status of a speaker.[12]
Swahili, which is common in the former British colonies of East Africa, has been intentionally Englishised in order to allow for more conversation around modern technologies and concepts.[18]
The Spanish language, which is widespread in the Americas, typically received loanwards from British English (often through French) until the 1950s, when American English's influence became more prominent.[19]
Pinyin, a Romanisation scheme, has aided Chinese speakers in learning English.[22]
BothJapanese andKorean have borrowed many words from English.[23] In Japan, English words are often used in a "decorative" manner to make a message look more modern.[24]
In China, English vocabulary had a minimal influence on local languages, with new words often being coined to replace historical English loanwords. This is due in part to theChinese writing system, which favours words which can be broken down into meaningful components.[25] An exception to this isHong Kong Cantonese, which has many words from English due toBritish rule in the city until 1997.[26] Taiwan also tends to borrow more words directly from English.[25] However, English grammar did have an influence on Chinese due to the amount of material being translated between the two languages during theWesternisation of China.[27]
English has been accepted in South Asia to some extent because of its neutrality i.e. its lack of association with any ethnic group in the region. It has played a significant role in enabling migration within theIndian subcontinent, and contributes a major share of the vocabulary used in more technical fields;[28][29][30][31] even when Sanskrit wordshave been created to replace English words, they are often calqued off of English words.[32][33][34]
English has had a growing presence in the Middle East due to the need for locals to interact with expatriate workers.[37]Modern Standard Arabic has been noted for incorporating new speech reporting styles (ways of quoting other people's words) due to Englishisation.[38] The Turkish language has become more open to English influences due to Turkey'sWesternisation in the early 20th century and adoption of the Latin alphabet.[39]
Because English is among the most common languages in Israel, it has also influencedModern Hebrew,[40] though it has less presence in the Arab areas.[41] English's role in Israel became more prevalent with the 1967Six-Day War and later cultural Americanisation.[42]
The initial spread of the English language took place with continental Europeans who conquered England. England then spread the language through the rest of the British Isles, sometimes through conquest.[43]
Some languages in Europe, such as some of theScandinavian languages, have been prone to significant Englishisation, while other languages, such asIcelandic, have tended towards linguistic purism.[44] 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,[45][46][47] and has resulted in altered interpretations of English words in some cases.[48] Englishisation has occurred to some extent particularly in the business and finance-related vocabularies of various European languages.[49] 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.[50]
There is also research around the increasing usage of English in European universities.[51]
Several English-based creoles were formed in Oceania during the colonial period, with even the English spoken in British colonies such as Australia and New Zealand mixing with local languages. In modern times, the appeal of Australia and New Zealand has served to bolster the English language in the region.[52]
^van Rooy, Bertus (2020), Schreier, Daniel; Schneider, Edgar W.; Hundt, Marianne (eds.),"English in Africa",The Cambridge Handbook of World Englishes, Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 210–235,ISBN978-1-108-42595-7, retrieved1 May 2024
