English Words in the Romanian Language Today: from Conscious to Unconscious Use

Abstract

This paper is a study of the English loanwords in Romanian, performed on an online search using the WordSmith Tools programme. The investigation focused on several case studies, and had as a result a typology of the loanwords according to their degree of assimilation in the Romanian language. In addition to the several categories of words of whose meaning the speakers are aware, a peculiar class was identified, comprising words mistakenly assimilated at the signified level only. The types of consciouslyborrowed loanwords are used depending on stylistic reasons, and in some cases are even necessary, as they fill a lexical gap. The mistakenly-used ones are confusing both in style and in the process of communication. Whereas the linguist may be describing the former category, he should be prescriptive in warning about the miscommunication that may be the outcome of the loanwords used in an unconscious and mistaking way.