Study Of English Loanwords In Modern Chinese

Loanword borrowing is an important linguistic phenomenon as well as a means to enrich the vocabulary. It is the outcome of language contact and culture contact. The analysis of English loanwords in modern Chinese is of significance to the research on Chinese vocabulary system, and it is also conducive to the further knowledge of the contact between Chinese culture and English culture.Based on the survey of the current use of loanword use in Chinese society, specifically in Chinese publications, Chinese enterprise names and Chinese brand names, by adoption of language contact theory, this thesis has made a comprehensive and systematic study of English loanwords in modern Chinese. In this thesis, first loanwords are defined and classified. According to the prototype theory, loanwords are categorized into"typical loanwords"and"peripheral loanwords", thereby avoiding the controversy over whether semantically translated words should be grouped into loanwords. Then, the linguistic function, cultural function and societal function of loanwords are also analyzed. Based on the collected data, it is observed that there present new characteristics in loanword use and there exist problems in loanword use. Finally, this thesis expounds these characteristics and explores the underlying reasons for the emergence of these characteristics, and proposes some feasible suggestions to standardize the loanword use, which will contribute to the healthy development of Chinese language.