Basic details

• Date: Sunday 16 March
• Borrowed words: 3
• Host: Dr Kim Huynh

Words

1. Korean 화이팅/fighting

Description**:**

Korean word, from the English ‘fighting’ (potentially through Japanese? Origins unknown) that is used to express encouragement or support. Used now in K-pop/Hallyu fan circles with the same meaning (so completely separate from the ‘fight’ meaning). An example of ‘reborrowing’.
Example: Good luck for the concert today! Fighting! (trans: Good luck, let’s go, you got this)

Talking Points:

• Words borrowed into a language are usually adapted to the language, like being adapted into the sound system (eg. computer → 컴퓨터 in Korean pronunciation)
• Often, the words can also undergo a change, where they are used in the language very differently from how they were used in the source language (the case for ‘fighting’).
• Just a part of that word becoming a part of the langauge - words might be ‘borrowed’ or ‘loaned’, but they join the linguistic system they are part of, function on their own terms (not according to the terms of the source language). Similar to what happens in other kinds of contact (cultural, culinary, fashion, etc).
• With lexicon in particular, the direction of borrowing aligns with sociopolitical dynamics. In the case of ‘fighting’ - many English words borrowed into Korean because of English’s global position as well as America’s relationship to Korea. Now that Korean pop culture is extremely popular, including in anglophone countries, Korean words find their way into English.
• In 2021, 26 Korean-origin words were added to the OED, including fighting. This is dramatic increase, given that only 22 words had been added previously over the 200-year history of the OED.

Sources

• Ahn, H., & Kiaer, J. (2023). Translingual English words of Korean origin and beyond: skinship, fighting, chimaek. Asian Englishes, 26(1), 69–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2023.2216866

• Oxford Dictionary entry for ‘fighting’

  Esp. in Korea and Korean contexts: expressing encouragement, incitement, or support: ‘Go on!’ ‘Go for it!’

  • https://www.oed.com/dictionary/fighting_int?tab=meaning_and_use&tl=true#1328382670

2. Indian English ‘only’

Description