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While many words enter English as slang, not all do. Some words are adopted from other languages; some are mixtures of existing words (portmanteau words), and some are new coinages made of roots from dead languages: e.g. thanitopsis. No matter the origin, though, words seldom, if ever, are immediately accepted into the English language. 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 influence of the Norman language), words referring to food - e.g. ''au gratin''. Nearly 30% of English words (in an 80,000 word dictionary) may be of French origin.

★ German: ''Main article: List of German expressions in English''. Some words relating to the World War I and the World War II, e.g. blitz. And some food terms, such as ''wurst'', ''hamburger'' and ''frankfurter''. Also: ''wanderlust'', ''schadenfreude'', ''zeitgeist'', ''kaputt'', ''kindergarten'', ''autobahn'', ''rucksack''.

★ Scandinavian languages such as Old Norse - words such as ''sky'' and ''troll'' or, more recently, ''geysir''.

★ Dutch - words relating to sailing, e.g. ''skipper'', ''keel'' etc., and civil engineering, such as ''dam'', ''polder''.

★ Latin words, technical or biological names, medical terminology, legal terminology. See also: Latin influence in English

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

★ Spanish - words relating to Spanish culture - for example ''paella'', ''siesta'', ''plaza'', ''salsa'', etc.

★ Italian - words relating to music, piano, ''fortissimo''. Or Italian culture, such as ''piazza'', ''pizza'', ''gondola'', ''balcony'', ''fascism''. The English word ''umbrella'' comes from Italian ''ombrello''.

★ Arabic - Islamic religious terms such as ''jihad'' and ''hadith''. Also some scientific vocabulary borrowed through Latin in the Middle Ages (''alcohol'', ''azimuth'', ''nadir'').

★ Nahuatl - ''tomato'', ''coyote'', ''chocolate''.

★ Afrikaans - ''apartheid'', ''trek''.

★ Russian - words relating to the Cold War and the aftermath (''perestroika'', ''glasnost''), and also words relating to Russian culture, such as ''Cossack'' or ''Babushka''.

★ Indian - words relating to culture, originating from the colonial era, e.g.: ''pyjamas'', ''bungalow'', ''verandah'', ''jungle'', ''curry'', ''shampoo'', ''khaki''.

Contents

See also

Further reading

External links

See also

★ Lists of English words of international origin

Further reading

★ Pyles, T. & J. Algeo (1993). The Origins and Development of the English Language. Fort Worth: Harcourt College Publishers.

External links

★ AskOxford - What is the proportion of English words of French, Latin, or Germanic origin?