Foreign language influences in English

From Wacklepedia - The Free Encyclopedia

Considering that all new words generally start off as slang, no word really just enters the English language immediately, all words come from different languages. Here is a list of the most common foreign language influences in English, where other languages have influenced or contributed words to English

• French words for the meat of an animal, noble words (this comes from the time of the Normans when the French were in charge of England), words referring to food-e.g. au gratin.

• German some words relating to the Second World War, e.g. Blitz. And some food terms, such as wurst. Also: wanderlust, schadenfreude, zeitgeist, kaputt, kindergarten, autobahn.

• Latin words, technical or biological names, medical terminology, legal terminology.

• Greek words-medical terminology (like for instance phobias and ologies)

• Spanish -words relating to Spanish culture -for example paella, siesta, plaza, etc.

• Italian -words relating to music, piano, fortissimo. Or Italian culture, such as piazza, gondola, etc. Also: balcony.

• Nahuatl - tomato, coyote, chocolate

• Russian -words relating to the Cold War, and also words relating to Russian culture, such as Cossack.