Pseudo-anglicism

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates A pseudo-anglicism is a word in another language that is formed from English elements and may appear to be English, but that does not exist as an English word with the same meaning.Template:Sfn<ref>Ilse Sørensen, English im deutschen Wortschatz, 1997, p. 18, as quoted in Onysko, 2007, p. 53: "words that look English, but which deviate from genuine English words either formally or semantically"</ref>Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

For example, English speakers traveling in France may be struck by the "number of anglicisms—or rather words that look English—which are used in a different sense than they have in English, or which do not exist in English (such as rallye-paper, shake-hand, baby-foot, or baby-parc)".<ref>Nicol Spence 1976, as quoted in Ayres-Bennett, 2014, p. 335</ref>

This is different from a false friend, which is a word with a cognate that has a different main meaning; in some cases, pseudo-anglicisms become false friends.<ref>Henrik Gottlieb, "Danish pseudo-Anglicisms: A corpus-based analysis", p. 65 in Furiassi 2015</ref>

Definition and terminology

Pseudo-anglicisms are also called secondary anglicisms,Template:Sfn false anglicisms,Template:Sfn or pseudo-English.Template:Sfn

Pseudo-anglicisms are a kind of lexical borrowing where the source or donor language is English, but where the borrowing is reworked in the receptor or recipient language.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

The precise definition varies. Duckworth defines pseudo-anglicisms in German as "neologisms derived from English language material."Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Furiassi includes words that may exist in English with a "conspicuously different meaning".Template:Sfn

Typology and mechanism

Pseudo-anglicisms can be created in various ways, such as by archaism, i.e., words that once had that meaning in English but are since abandoned; semantic slide, where an English word is used incorrectly to mean something else; conversion of existing words from one part of speech to another; or recombinations by reshuffling English units.Template:Sfn

Onysko speaks of two types: pseudo-anglicisms and hybrid anglicisms. The common factor is that each type represents a neologism in the receptor language resulting from a combination of borrowed lexical items from English. Using German as the receptor language, an example of the first type is Wellfit-Bar, a combination of two English lexical units to form a new term in German, which does not exist in English, and which carries the meaning, "a bar that caters to the needs of health-starved people." An example of the second type, is a hybrid based on a German compound word, Weitsprung (long jump), plus the English 'coach', to create the new German word Weitsprung-Coach.Template:Sfn

According to Filipović, pseudo-anglicisms can be formed through compounding, suffixation, or ellipsis. For example, the Serbo-Croatian word Template:Lang-sr-Cyrl-Latn was created from the English word goal, which the word man was added to. Alternatively, suffixes such as Template:Lang-sr-Cyrl-Latn or Template:Lang-sr-Cyrl-Latn may be added to an English word to create a new word in Serbo-Croatian, such as Template:Lang-sr-Cyrl-Latn or Template:Lang-sr-Cyrl-Latn. Ellipsis may also occur, wherein a component of an English word is dropped, such as the suffix -ing; examples include Template:Lang-sr-Cyrl-Latn from boxing, or Template:Lang-sr-Cyrl-Latn from happy ending.Template:Sfn

Another process of word formation that can result in a pseudo-anglicism is a blend word, consisting of portions of two words, like brunch or smog. Rey-Debove & Gagnon attest tansad in French in 1919, from English tan[dem] + sad[dle].Template:Sfn

Scope

Pseudo-anglicisms can be found in many languages that have contact with English around the world, and are attested in nearly all European languages.Template:Sfn

The equivalent of pseudo-anglicisms derived from languages other than English also exist. For example, the English-language phrase "double entendre", while often believed to be French and pronounced in a French fashion, is not actually used in French. For other examples, see dog Latin, list of pseudo-French words adapted to English, and list of pseudo-German words adapted to English.

Examples

Many languages

Some pseudo-anglicisms are found in many languages and have been characterized as "world-wide pseudo-English",<ref>Broder Carstensen, "Euro-English", in Linguistics across historical and geographical boundaries: in honour of Jacek Fisiak..., 2, in Trends in Linguistics: Studies and Monographs 32, 1986, p. 831</ref> often borrowed via other languages such as French or Italian:<ref>e.g., Λεξικό της κοινής Νεοελληνικής s.v. σμόκιν</ref>

• autostop – hitchhiking in French,<ref name="collins"/> Italian,<ref>«Autostop», Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia italiana</ref> Polish, Serbo-Croatian, Greek οτοστόπ,<ref name="babiniotis">Georgios Babiniotis, Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, 1998, s.v.</ref> Russian автостоп, Spanish, Bulgarian, Hungarian, etc.<ref name="gorlach"/>
• basket – basketball in Danish, French, Indonesian, Italian, Spanish, Swedish,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Greek μπάσκετ,<ref name="babiniotis"/> Turkish, etc.;<ref name="gorlach"/> also sneakers in French
• camping – campsite or campground in French,<ref name="collins"/> Dutch, Greek κάμπινγκ,<ref name="babiniotis"/> Bulgarian къмпинг,<ref>PONS Online Dictionary</ref> Russian ке́мпинг,<ref>PONS Online Dictionary</ref> Polish kemping,<ref>'PONS Online Dictionary</ref> Portuguese,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Spanish, etc.
• smoking – dinner jacket, tuxedo, or smoking jacket in Danish,<ref>smoking, Den Danske Ordbog</ref> French,<ref name="collins"/> Portuguese,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> German,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Italian,<ref name="paravia">Oxford Paravia Italian Dictionary, 2001, Template:Isbn, s.v.</ref> Dutch, Greek σμόκιν,<ref name="babiniotis"/> Russian, etc.<ref name="gorlach">Gorlach, 2001, s.v.</ref>

Korean

• one shot – "bottoms up" (원샷 [wʌn.ɕjat̚])<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• hand phone – "cellphone" (핸드폰 [hɛn.dɯ.pon])<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• skinship – platonic hand-holding, hugging, etc. (스킨십; seu·kin·sib)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Romance

French

French includes many pseudo-anglicisms, including novel compounds (baby-foot), specifically compounds in -man (tennisman), truncations (foot), places in -ing (dancing meaning dancing-place, not the act of dancing), and a large variety of meaning shifts.<ref name="thog"/>

• Template:LangTemplate:Sfn (m, pronounced Template:IPA) – table football
• Template:LangTemplate:Sfn – playpen
• Template:Lang – drinks in privileged company before a party, a.k.a. "pregame" (opposite of Template:Lang)
• Template:Lang – music quiz / 'name that tune'
• Template:Lang – blow-dry and styling<ref name="anderson">Matthew Anderson, "The foreign words that seem like English – but aren't", BBC Culture 13 October 2016</ref><ref name="collins-usage">Collins le Robert French Dictionary, 11th ed., 2020, s.v. (usage note)</ref>
• Template:Lang – high-rise building, tower block<ref name="anderson"/><ref name="collins">Collins le Robert French Dictionary, 11th ed., 2020, s.v.</ref>
• Template:Lang – wifi router or parking space<ref name="thog"/>
• Template:Lang – dance hall<ref name="thog"/>
• Template:Lang (noun) - walk-in closet
• Template:Lang – a brief romance, flirtation, a boyfriend or girlfriend<ref name="collins"/>
• Template:Lang – jogging (though the real English word is also used in French with the same meaning)
• Template:Lang – dry cleaning shop,
• Template:LangTemplate:Sfn – a "fox-and-hounds" like game, except with paper scraps instead of foxesTemplate:Sfn
• Template:Lang (m; pl: Template:Lang; f:Template:Lang) – record holder, especially in sports
• Template:Lang (verb) to make over; also: Template:Lang (n; masc.) – a makeover
• Template:Lang (noun) - velcro
• Template:LangTemplate:Sfn
• Template:Lang, Template:Lang (feminine) – radio or television announcer<ref name="thog">Clyde Thogmartin, "Some 'English' Words in French", The French Review 57:4:447-455 (March 1984) Template:JSTOR</ref>
• Template:Lang – a wheelie

Italian

• autogrill (Template:IPA)<ref>«Autogrill», Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia italiana</ref> – rest area (used for any brand, not only for Autogrill chain)
• beauty farm<ref>«Beauty farm», Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia italiana</ref> (Template:IPA) – spa
• The French borrowing bloc-notes (Template:IPA) is sometimes written in the pseudo-English form block-notes (Template:IPA)<ref>«Bloc-Notes», Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia italiana</ref> – notebook
• jolly – the joker in a pack of cards<ref name="anderson"/><ref>Cristiano Furiassi, "How jolly is the joker? Problemi di traducibilità dei falsi anglicismi" in the Atti del 5° congresso di studi dell’Associazione Italiana di Linguistica Applicata (AItLA). Bari, 17,18 febbraio 2005</ref>
• pullman – a bus<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
• smart working Template:IPA – remote work, where "smart" is used referring to other devices with an Internet connection, such as smartphones and smartwatches.
• water (Template:IPA) - flush toilet (from English water closet)

Portuguese

• outdoor – billboard<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• home office - work from home<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• shopping - shopping mall<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Germanic

Danish

• babylift – baby transport/carrycot<ref>babylift, Den Danske Ordbog</ref><ref name="anderson"/>
• butterfly – bow tie<ref>butterfly, Den Danske Ordbog</ref>
• cottoncoat – trench coat<ref>cottoncoat, Den Danske Ordbog</ref>
• cowboytoast – minced meat sandwich<ref>cowboytoast, Den Danske Ordbog</ref>
• doorstep – a short and informal press conference<ref>doorstep, Wiktionary</ref>
• monkeyclass – economy class<ref>monkeyclass, Den Danske Ordbog</ref>
• speedmarker – a felt-tip pen<ref>speedmarker, Den Danske Ordbog</ref>
• stationcar – blend of station wagon (US) and estate car (UK)<ref>stationcar, Den Danske Ordbog</ref>
• timemanager – a calendar or notebook in which one writes down appointments (from the registered trademark Time Manager)<ref>timemanager, Den Danske Ordbog</ref>

Dutch

• beamer – a video projector (via German pseudo-anglicism Beamer)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source needed
• box – a playpen<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or a music speaker
• coffeeshop - a shop selling cannabis
• keycord – a lanyard
• oldtimer – a classic car
• touringcar – a coach (bus)
• videoclip – a music video

German

Template:See also German pseudo anglicisms often have multiple valid and common ways of writing them, generally either hyphenated (Home-Office) or in one word (Homeoffice).<ref name="duden.de">Template:Cite web</ref>

German speakers, especially teachers, often refer to pseudo-anglicisms as false friends, a translation of the German term that may itself count as a pseudo anglicism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• Beamer – a video projector<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Bodybag – a messenger bag
• Dressman – a male model (Onysko calls this the 'canonical example' of a pseudo-anglicism.Template:Sfn)
• Flipper – a pinball machine<ref name="german.yabla.com">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Funsport – a sport played for amusement, such as skateboarding or frisbee<ref name="anderson" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Handy – a mobile phone<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Jobticket – a free pass for public transport provided by an employer for employees<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Oldtimer – an antique car<ref name="anderson"/>
• Shooting – a photoshoot<ref name="german.yabla.com"/>
• trampen (verb) – hitchhiking<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• mobbing – bullying

Norwegian

• hands – the offence of handball in association football<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• sixpence – Flat cap<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Swedish

• after work – a meeting for drinks after the workday is finished<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• backslick – a wet, combed-back hair styleTemplate:Citation needed
• pocket – a paper-back book<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• speaker – an announcer (such as at sporting events)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Slavic

Serbian

• Template:Lang-sr-Cyrl-Latn – crime boss<ref name=":2">Template:Cite book</ref>
• Template:Lang-sr-Cyrl-Latn – a person who bets, especially on sports and other competitions<ref name=":2" />
• Template:Lang-sr-Cyrl-Latn – goalkeeper<ref name=":3">Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Template:Lang-sr-Cyrl-Latn – happy ending<ref name=":3" />
• Template:Lang-sr-Cyrl-Latn – classic car<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Template:Lang-sr-Cyrl-Latn – stretch fabric<ref name=":2" />

Polish

• dres – tracksuit;<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> sometimes also short for dresiarz (chav, gopnik)

Russian

• Дресс-кроссинг ("Dress crossing") – clothing swap<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (analogous to postcrossing, bookcrossing); not to be confused with cross-dressing
• Template:Lang ("Clip maker") – music video directorTemplate:Sfn
• Template:Lang ("meeting") – rally, demonstration
• Template:Lang ("records man") – record holder
• Template:Lang ("strikeball")<ref>«страйкбол», «Словари и энциклопедии на Академике»</ref><ref>Страйкбол, «Википедия»</ref> – airsoft
• Template:Lang ("Face control") – the policy of screening people based on their appearanceTemplate:Citation needed

Austronesian

Malaysian Malay

• action – boast; boastful<ref name="Johari">Template:Cite web</ref>
• best – good<ref name="Johari"/><ref name="soscili.my">Template:Cite web</ref>
• cable – personal connection or insider<ref name="Johari"/><ref name="Roslan">Template:Cite web</ref>
• power – great<ref name="Johari"/><ref name="soscili.my"/>
• sound – scold<ref name="Johari"/><ref name="soscili.my"/>
• spender – undergarment for lower body e.g. briefs and panties<ref name="Johari"/><ref name="soscili.my"/><ref name="Roslan"/>
• terror – great<ref name="Roslan"/>

Indonesian

• busway – TransJakarta bus; bus rapid transit<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• cross boy/girl – delinquent person<ref name="gustaafkusno">Template:Cite web</ref>
• free sex – extramarital sex<ref name="Nelly Martin">Template:Cite thesis</ref>
• hand body – hand & body lotion<ref name="Sacha Stevenson">Template:Cite web</ref>
• handphone – mobile phone<ref name="gustaafkusno"/>
• healing – going on a vacation to heal mentally<ref name="TelU">Template:Cite web</ref>
• magic com – multifunctional rice cooker<ref name="Raissa Yulianti">Template:Cite web</ref>
• outbound – outdoor education or recreational activities<ref name="gustaafkusno"/>
• sorry-dorry-morry-strawberry – sorry not sorry; sorry<ref name="Rafiek, M.">Template:Cite journal</ref>
• sound – sound reinforcement system<ref name="Anindya Milagsita">Template:Cite web</ref>
• travel – inter-regional minibus service <ref name="Panji Prayitno">Template:Cite web</ref>
• win-win solution – win-win situation; win-win conflict resolution <ref name="Ayu Ma'as">Template:Cite web</ref>

Other languages

Maltese

• goaler – goalkeeper<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• Anglicism
• Barbarism (modern linguistics)
• Calque
• Denglisch
• False friend
• Language transfer
• Loanword
• List of pseudo-German words adapted to English
• List of pseudo-French words adapted to English
• Phono-semantic matching
• Wasei-eigo

Sources

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• Rosenhouse, Judith, Rotem Kowner, eds., Globally Speaking: Motives for Adopting English Vocabulary in Other Languages, 2008, Template:Isbn
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Further reading

• James Stanlaw 2004, Japanese English: Language And The Culture Contact, Hong Kong University Press.
• Laura Miller 1997, "Wasei eigo: English ‘loanwords' coined in Japan" in The Life of Language: Papers in Linguistics in Honor of William Bright, edited by Jane Hill, P.J. Mistry and Lyle Campbell, Mouton/De Gruyter: The Hague, pp. 123–139.
• Geoff Parkes and Alan Cornell 1992, 'NTC's Dictionary of German False Cognates', National Textbook Company, NTC Publishing Group.
• Ghil'ad Zuckermann 2003, ‘‘Language Contact and Lexical Enrichment in Israeli Hebrew’’ Template:Webarchive, Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, (Palgrave Studies in Language History and Language Change, Series editor: Charles Jones). Template:ISBN.

External links

• Examples of Japanese pseudo-anglicisms