LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 11 : 11 November 2011
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.

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English Borrowings in Jaffna Tamil

T. Karunakaran, Ph.D. Scholar in ELE

Abstract

This study looks specifically at the language contact of two of the world’s most visible languages and details of the resultant language change when words from English are borrowed into Tamil. Borrowed words, or loan words were collected in Jaffna in June, 2007.The loan words were then analyzed for phonological, morphosyntactic, semantic, and sociolinguistic factors. The frequency of English loan words was found to have increased in Tamil in the past decade, particularly in the realms of technology and communication, culture and entertainment, and politics. The borrowings are consequently spoken and understood by younger interlocutors and speakers. Socioeconomic, cultural, political, and geographical factors may make two languages co-exist and inevitably the languages influence each other.

The following key words would be focused in the study:

Borrowings
Language Contact
Sri Lankan Tamil
Jaffna Tamil

1.0 Language Contact and Borrowing

Like human beings, language may also be considered a living organism, which is subjected to both decay and development. Total vocabulary of an individual is not constant at any age and time in his/her life span. It is constantly subjected to change. The new experiences may bring subtle changes in the individual's vocabulary by adding some items to his/her vocabulary. The words that are in his/her total vocabulary may get deleted because of lack of opportunities for him/her to use those items, or because of the circumstances, which demand and maintain the use of such items, do not exist anymore, or some of the words of the total stock may acquire new meanings. Similarly, contact with new cultures, new knowledge, and other languages do cause an advent of new concepts into a language, and these concepts are made available to the users of that language through new words or new conventions in the use of existing words. When this contact generally necessitates the mutual flow of ideas and concepts, naturally there will be need for vocabulary that captures these concepts adequately in both the languages.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

T. Karunakaran, Ph.D. Scholar in ELE
EFL University
Hyderabad
Andhra Pradesh
India
karuenglish@yahoo.com
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