“A Call with manager to do networking“. What a few years ago It might have sounded purely Chinese to us, which is common to hear in many offices today. The global use of English caused Shakespeare’s language Colonize other languages such as Spanish, French or Italian. through audio-visual means, the media or business relations with other countries, many english terms in many cases they replace other vernacular words in conversations without apparent need.
selfie, online anyone software They go into our mental (as well as physical) vocabulary. The Spanish Royal Academy (RAE), tasked with collecting the customary use of the Castilian language, assumes that: foreign words they are not “rejectable per se” but try to limit their inclusion. new expression needs. When faced with new words completely borrowed from another language, the body always recommends putting it in front of other Spanish-specific options.
While the main proponents of the use of Anglicism are the youngest, it is not just an adolescent phenomenon or the powerful influence of the Internet on language. “The profile of those who use unnecessary English words is more business or leisure environment “It’s where more people move by age,” says Antonio Miguel Nogués, professor of Social Anthropology at Miguel Hernández University. Thus, we can find areas where foreign words are the daily bread, such as multinational corporations.
Required or replaceable foreign words
Technological developments have brought new concepts to our lives: Chirp, hacker anyone Cedar tree These are words that have no Spanish equivalents, so they had to be adapted to describe non-existent concepts. This Spanish It’s often unavoidable, but language scholars bet on choosing the adapted option.
HE Pan-Spanish Dictionary of Doubt The difference between necessary or common foreign words and unnecessary or unnecessary words. For RAE, In order not to underestimate the richness of Spanish, we should avoid the latter and replace it with equivalent words in our language.
The struggle of academics with foreign words has been going on for a long time. Already in 2016, RAE has a advertising campaign “There is only one mother tongue”, which he claims is the use of Spanish in advertisements against the proliferation of Englishisms. “Everyone Happy, no… the following: Happy” was the last message.
Why do we use so much Anglicism?
Ignorance of the term in Spanish, operability, intellectual laziness, pretentiousness… There are several reasons why our language is becoming more and more filled with Englishism. According to Nogués, there is no single reason, but it depends on the context: it is not the same as using foreign words in a field of university research (quite common), computer (practically mandatory), or the world of fashion. (a little pedantic). ).
Generally speaking, for the professor main reason would be laziness. Essentially, we invoke Englishisms to free ourselves from the “intellectual work” of resorting to our own linguistic resources to refer to a “world that transcends us”. “We’re at such a crazy pace that there’s no time to slow down to raise awareness,” he adds.
In addition, Nogués points out that, contrary to the purpose of an inclusive language, the substitution of these terms in our usual lexicon does not affect reality or cover any minority group. “Banning terms like email or newsletter won’t cause social disruption, as it doesn’t make any group invisible. linguistic cultural colonialism It’s not in fashion right now,” says the professor.
Is the supremacy of English a global problem?
The overuse of Anglicisms is not just a Spanish issue. While most of the public institutions and media in France were aware of the role of their language in the international arena, in Italy the issue spread to the political agenda. MPs close to the prime minister, far-right Giorgia MelonyHe introduced a bill proposing to fine any company, university or public official using non-Italian words with a fine of up to 100,000 euros.
According to supporters of this legislative initiative, the aim is to create “a barrier to the spread of foreign terms.” ultimate intention reduce the number of foreign words (especially Englishisms) under the premise that their mother tongues may “collapse” and “progressively disappear” as “globalization and stereotypical monolingualism pose a danger to local languages”.
This controversial patriotic proposal of MPs defending their mother tongue clashes with the political use of Anglicisms in the transalpine country, as it already has a political party in its name. italexit and even the Government has a Department of Commerce and Made in Italy.