Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T14:39:29.616Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The top 100 Chinese loanwords in English today

Can one recognise the Chinese words used in English?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 October 2018

Ai Zhong
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

On February 17, 2018, the China International Publishing Group (CIPG), an organization under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee, released a report on the most recognized Chinese words in the English-speaking world. The data for ‘A report on the awareness of Chinese discourse overseas’ (中国话语海外认知度调研报告) were obtained from two resources, i.e. (1) a number of articles selected from 50 mainstream media, and (2) questionnaires distributed in eight English-speaking countries, including the US, the UK, Australia, the Philippines, South Africa, Canada, Singapore, and India. It should be noted that the report only investigates the usage and understanding of Chinese words in their Pinyin forms (China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, 2018).

Type
Research Article
Information
English Today , Volume 35 , Issue 3 , September 2019 , pp. 8 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bolton, K. & Graddol, D. 2012. ‘English in China today.’ English Today, 28(3), 3–9.Google Scholar
Chan, M. & Kwok, H. 1985. A Study of Lexical Borrowing from Chinese into English with Special Reference to Hong Kong. Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong.Google Scholar
China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration. 2018. A Report On The Awareness Of Chinese Discourse Overseas [中国话语海外认知度调研报告]. Beijing: China International Publishing Group (CIPG).Google Scholar
Durkin, P. 2009. The Oxford Guide to Etymology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Eaves, M. 2011. ‘English, Chinglish or China English?: Analysing Chinglish, Chinese English and China English.’ English Today, 27(4), 64–70.Google Scholar
Fischer, A. 2003. ‘Lexical borrowing and the history of English: A typology of typologies.’ In Kastovsky, D. & Mettinger, A. (eds.), Language Contact in the History of English (2nd edn.) Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, pp. 97–115.Google Scholar
Fang, F. 2017. ‘World Englishes or English as a lingua franca: Where does English in China stand?’ English Today, 33(1), 19–24.Google Scholar
Haugen, E. 1950. ‘The analysis of linguistic borrowing.’ Language 26, 210–31.Google Scholar
Jakhar, P. 2018. ‘Who really came up with China's “four new inventions”?’ BBC News, 3 April. Online at <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-43406560/> (Accessed April 20, 2018).+(Accessed+April+20,+2018).>Google Scholar
Katamba, F. 2004. English Words (2nd edn.). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online. Online at <https://www.merriam-webster.com/> (Accessed June 1, 2018).+(Accessed+June+1,+2018).>Google Scholar
Oxford Dictionaries Online. Online at <http://en.oxforddictionaries.com/> (Accessed May 28, 2018).+(Accessed+May+28,+2018).>Google Scholar
Oxford English Dictionary Online. Online at <http://www.oed.com/> (Accessed April 1, 2018).+(Accessed+April+1,+2018).>Google Scholar
The Standardization Administration of the People's Republic of China (SAC). 2017. ‘Guidelines for the use of English in public service areas. [公共服务领域英文译写规范.]’ Online at <http://www.gb688.cn/bzgk/gb/> (Accessed June 1, 2018).+(Accessed+June+1,+2018).>Google Scholar
Xu, Z. 2010. Chinese English: Features and Implications. Hong Kong: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Yong, Z. & Campbell, K. P. 1995. ‘English in China.’ World Englishes, 14(3), 377–90.Google Scholar