The “Foreign” Words You Speak Each Day

Many people speak more than one language. In the United States, the number of children who speak a language other than English continues to rise. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, “In 2016, 22% of children in the United States—slightly more than 12 million kids total—spoke a language other than English at home. This rate has risen…by 1.2 million kids in the last decade.”

Multilingual Rises, But English Remains the Ruler

Though the population of multilingual people in the U.S. will continue to rise, the primary language spoken in the majority of homes in the United States is still English, with over 231,122,908 speakers as of 2017 (WorldAtlas). As common as it might be to learn a second language, the majority is monolingual—or so it seems. There are many people who speak in a foreign tongue daily without even knowing it.

English is Really Comprised of Several Languages

29% of English “comes from French”.

English is a mash-up of several languages that date back to days of old. According to Rocket Languages:

  • 26% of the English language is “directly derived from Germanic languages”
  • 29% of English “comes from French”
  • 29% is pulled “from Latin”
  • 6% comes from Greek, while 4% “comes from people’s names”
  • The final 6% comes from a combination of “Celtic, Spanish, Norman, Italian, Hebrew, Yiddish, Persian, and Arabic.”

This only goes to show that your everyday manner of speaking, no matter how “English” you might believe it to be, has more foreign flair than you ever thought possible.

Where Do Your Everyday Words Come From?

The fun part is discovering where your words really come from and how often you speak them.

  • French – Some of the prettiest (and tastiest!) words come from the French language, including: – Genre – Croissant – Café – Hors-d’oeuvre – Lingerie
  • Spanish – you might already know that some of these have Spanish roots: – Rodeo – Tornado – Mosquito – Patio– Plaza
  • Arabic – some of these might surprise you: – Lemon – Candy – Mascara – Average – So long
  • German – it’s pretty easy to hear the accent when you think of these words: – Fest – Deli (delicatessen) – Kindergarten – Waltz – Gesundheit
  • Japanese – these are some fun words to do and to watch: – Karate – Ninja – Karaoke – Origami – Tsunami (this one’s not-so-fun…)
  • Russian – a few of these will keep you warm in the cold: – Vodka – Parka – Babushka – Mammoth – Tzar/Czar
  • Chinese – phrases and words that you probably use (or eat) each day: – Ketchup – Chop Chop – Tofu – Kowtow – Dim Sum
  • Hindi – believe it or not: – Bandanna – Shampoo – Thug – Avatar

And a few just for fun:

  • Swedish– Moped
  • Polynesian – Tattoo
  • Dutch– Cookie
  • Romanian– Pal
  • Irish– Boycott

Although you might speak in different languages daily, you might still find yourself with the need for translation. At ITC, we have professional translators who know a lot more than just cookies and tofu; our agri-food translators can provide menu, website, and marketing translations.

From medical to marketing, in over 80 language pairs, let our translators be the word-ninjas you need to get that mammoth project done right. Contact us today.

 

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