Borrowings in Informal American English

Based on a rich range of sources, this pioneering book provides a comprehensive description of informal borrowings in American English.

Ma?gorzata Kowalczyk (Author)

9781009346870, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 14 September 2023

346 pages
28 x 19 x 2.5 cm, 0.723 kg

What do 'bimbo,' 'glitch,' 'savvy,' and 'shtick' all have in common? They are all expressions used in informal American English that have been taken from other languages. This pioneering book provides a comprehensive description of borrowings in informal American English, based on a large database of citations from thousands of contemporary sources, including the press, film, and TV. It presents the United States as a linguistic 'melting pot,' with words from a diverse range of languages now frequently appearing in the lexicon. It examines these borrowings from various perspectives, including discussions of terms, donors, types, changes, functions, and themes. It also features an alphabetical glossary of 1,200 representative expressions, defined and illustrated by 5,500 usage examples, providing an insightful and practical resource for readers. Combining scholarship with readability, this book is a fascinating storehouse of information for students and researchers in linguistics as well as anyone interested in lexical variation in contemporary English.

Introduction
1. Foundations
2. Terms
3. Donors
4. Types
5. Changes
6. Functions
7. Themes
Conclusions
Glossary
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Semantics, discourse analysis, etc [CFG]