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БАГАНА Жером, доктор филологических наук, профессор, заместитель директора по научной и международной деятельности института международной коммуникации и международных отношений Белгородского государственного национального исследовательского университета. Автор 270 научных публикаций, в т. ч. 25 монографий, 15учебных пособии*
ОКСЮ: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6061-3288
DOI: 10.17238/^п2227-6564.2019.6.56
ВОЛОШИНА Татьяна Геннадьевна, кандидат филологических наук, доцент, доцент кафедры второго иностранного языка Белгородского государственного национального исследовательского университета. Автор 80 научных публикаций, в т. ч. двух монографий, 12 учебных пособий** ОКСЮ: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6532-1572
theoretical problems of borrowing and interference under the conditions of language contact = теоретические проблемы заимствований и интерференции в условиях языковых контактов
Статья посвящена проблеме изучения теоретических вопросов о взаимосвязи таких языковых явлений, как заимствование и интерференция, в рамках контактной лингвистики. Авторы исследуют теоретические основы рассматриваемых понятий, которые могут включать в себя процессы изменения значения слов и приводить к обогащению словарного запаса языка путем заимствования слов из других языков. Критический анализ существующего материала помогает обнаружить противоречивые идеи в многообразии языковых подходов за разные временные периоды. Основное внимание авторы уделяют критериям представления необходимых базовых признаков для выявления дифференциальных и определения сходных характеристик анализируемых дефиниций. Отмечается, что заимствование в структуре языка функционирует как неестественный элемент, который подвергается в нем ассимиляции. В свою очередь, для интерференции характерно изменение самой структуры того или иного слова или понятия. Интерференция имеет разную степень интенсивности в различных социальных группах в зависимости от уровня владения иностранными языками (так, высокая степень интерференции наблюдается в иностранном языке малообразованного населения). Следует подчеркнуть, что интерференция часто возникает, когда говорящий воспринимает слово родного языка как интернациональное. Под воздействием внешних факторов она способна подвергать изменению определенные элементы, а также охватывать некоторые части внутри языковой структуры. Интерференция связана с влиянием связей и отношений в системе одного языка на систему другого.
Ключевые слова: заимствование, интерференция, языковой контакт, двуязычие, языковая вариативность.
*Адрес: 308015, г. Белгород, ул. Победы, д. 85; e-mail: [email protected]
**Адрес: 308015, г. Белгород, ул. Победы, д. 85; e-mail: [email protected]
Для цитирования: Багана Ж., Волошина Т.Г. Theoretical Problems of Borrowing and Interference Under the Conditions of Language Contact = Теоретические проблемы заимствований и интерференции в условиях языковых контактов // Вестн. Сев. (Арктич.) федер. ун-та. Сер.: Гуманит. и соц. науки. 2019. № 6. С. 56-60. DOI: 10.17238/issn2227-6564.2019.6.56
It is generally understood that vocabulary, which undergoes constant change, is the most mobile element of a language. The problem of linguistic borrowing has been actualised in the last ten years in connection with the active development of various aspects of language interaction [1, p. 81].
A growing number of studies in contemporary linguistics identify contradictions between the traditional concept of lexical borrowing, which was essentially established at around the turn of the twentieth century, and new ideas about language processes and the structure of language, which are rather typical of the second half of the twentieth century. As a result, two distinct types of borrowing systems have emerged, the first of which focuses on the intra-system aspect of the introduction of foreign linguistic elements into the recipient language (N.N. Amosova, L. Bloomfield, L.P. Krysin, A.P. Maiorov), while the second group considers borrowing in the context of bilingualism, interlingual contact and the inter-systemic interaction of languages (V.M. Aristova, U. Weinreich, E. Haugen).
Language contact takes place either under direct contact of peoples or without their presence, representing an important part of indirect cooperation between cultures. One of the most interesting questions of cultural interaction is the borrowing of linguistic units that are both cultural and linguistic borrowings. The recipient language adopts words from different languages, but represents them through its own linguistic and cultural perception. The aspiration to satisfy the needs of the borrowed lexical units can have the following consequences:
• language resources can be used to create new lexemes;
• existing lexemes can acquire new meanings (especially by means of calquing);
• words can be borrowed from another language [2, p. 28].
According to the generally accepted definition, borrowing is a process of moving elements of different types from one language to another. In particular, J.-F. Phelizon gives the following definition: "Borrowing is a process in which a
language gets linguistic units of another language" [3, p. 21]. Borrowing is a universal linguistic phenomenon when the adaptation of one language representation becomes part of the linguistic material of another language due to extralinguistic contacts between them, which can differ in levels and forms. The study of this process as a result of contacts between peoples and their languages is important for solving a number of linguistic problems, as well as issues related to history, archaeology, psychology and other sciences.
One of the particular issues related to lexical borrowings in contemporary contact linguistics is the borrowing-to-interference ratio. As for the interpretations of interference and borrowing, we are dealing with a limited scope of common and generally accepted terminology. In particular, researchers use the term interference quite differently. Some include the notion of borrowing into interference (U. Weinreich, Yu.A. Zhluktenko, and A. Queffelec), while others oppose this idea (J. Heath, S.G. Thomason, and T. Kaufman), and still others believe that interference comprises a process, arguing that borrowing is both a process and a result of this process (A. Appel and P. Muysken) [4, p. 67]. Thus, the supporters of the first point of view understand lexical interference to refer to all changes in the lexical structure caused by interlingual contacts.
According to A. Bamgbose, lexical interference is carried out in three possible directions:
• in the direct borrowing of vocabulary;
• in the structure of foreign lexical units;
• in borrowing their meanings and their relations with the units of the plane of expression [5, p. 45].
B. Kachru distinguishes three main types of lexical interference:
• borrowing;
• calquing;
• semantic interference [6, p. 79].
Sometimes interference changes the meaning
of the initial lexeme. For example, the word tea in British English has the meaning of a traditional hot beverage, while the territorial variant of the English language in Nigeria defines tea as a beverage of any
kind, cold or hot, such as water, tea, juice, taken by the Nigerians any part of the day. This example illustrates such type of change of lexical meaning as the narrowing of meaning [4, p. 34].
The Nigerian researcher T. Falola emphasises that this idea is of interest when describing distinctive features of lexical interference on different levels. First of all, one must consider that interference occurring in the speech of a bilingual person speaking fluently in two languages can, under favourable conditions, develop into a verbal fact of language; however, this does not need to be seen in terms of deviation from the norm. Interference, as Falola stresses, becomes one of the sources of linguistic variation. According to him, the second type of interference is connected with giving to borrowed words the additional meaning of linguistic and cultural features from the indigenous languages [7, p. 108].
These linguistic changes are realised in two ways:
1) at the level of systemic variants, i.e. the locally-marked element functions in parallel with the original element;
2) at the level of the system itself. In this case, we can trace the "structural consequences" on different levels. Examples of such cases include displacements of native lexemes in foreign elements, restructuring of synonymic pairs and rows, appearance of new collocations, and others [8, pp. 121-128].
S.G. Thomason and T. Kauffman consider two sociolinguistic situations that lead to more or less intense interference processes: the preservation of the language exposed to interference, on the one hand, and language shift, on the other. These authors refer to the linguistic consequences of the first type in terms of lexical and structural borrowing, while the second type is referred to in terms of interference. Here it is explicitly noted, however, that these comprise two types of interference. Both situations can be characterised by a different degree of influence of one language upon another. When the language is preserved, the effect of interference is manifested first in lexical borrowings and only subsequently in terms of
structural (phonetic and grammatical) changes [1, pp. 56-58].
Borrowing is a characteristic of less organised language systems. Interference primarily refers to language systems more strictly organised in terms of structure.
While borrowing can occur under the conditions of weak, short-term contacts, even if there is no direct communication of native speakers, interference is only possible when there are long-term direct contacts between speakers of different languages.
Borrowing produces no significant impact on the structure of a recipient language and only results in few noticeable new features; interference, however, can under certain conditions lead to important changes in the structure of the language system, its internal relations and organization [9, p. 3].
The third group of researchers generally interprets interference as a concept that exclusively characterises the process of learning a second language and contact changes in speech activity.
In our research, we prefer to consider interference in terms of any change in the system of a language under the influence of another language. The processes of lexical borrowing is the most common type of interference phenomena, which can be directly observed. This is largely due to the fact that lexical borrowings are perhaps the only type of interference for which bilingualism is not necessary; in any case, the degree of borrowing is spreading rapidly in monolingual communities today [10, p. 21]. However, we must admit that a bilingual speaker is more prone to lexical innovation, since, while a monolingual person only possesses original material and borrowings from his/her predecessors, a bilingual individual has another language at his/her disposal.
In this paper, linguistic interference is analysed as a transformation of linguistic elements of one language in another language. These elements of native speech and native language are transferred to another language due to the habit of using these forms and meanings in the native language. In this case, interference is understood as the introduction
of elements of one language into another under the conditions of individual and social bilingualisms. Elements transferred from one language to another are referred to as interference elements. These can relate to pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and semantic elements. Borrowings can be occasional and isolated, while interference implies intensive contact and large-scale borrowings [11, p. 82]. However, the interference process is distinct from the borrowing process.
The process of borrowing does not necessarily manifest itself in bilingualism. While Europeans in Africa borrowed vocabulary from African languages, they did not typically become bilinguals. In other words, in order for borrowing to occur, language contact is necessary, but bilingualism is not. Borrowing as a process is carried out at the social level, not individual level. For example, French spoken in Africa can borrow a variety of elements from African languages as a result
of social activity, but a French speaker cannot integrate the same elements of African languages into the French language system.
In conclusion, borrowing and interference are two phenomena which require a deep analysis. Interference is fundamentally different from borrowing. Nevertheless, borrowing and interference become two parts of one process as a result of long-term contact between two languages. An important aspect of interference is the degree of the speaker's knowledge of the native and the foreign language. It is assumed that interference has different degrees of intensity in different social groups. In the speech of a group that is fluent in a foreign language, interference is less pronounced. Conversely, the degree of interference is higher in the case of poorly educated speakers. It should also be noted that interference typically occurs when the speaker perceives a word of the native language as international and easily inserts it into the lexis of a foreign language in its usual meaning.
Список литературы
1. Thomason S.G., Kaufman T. Language Contact, Creolization, and Genetic Linguistics. Berkley: University of California Press, 1988. 411 p.
2. Adetugbo B.S. Transformations. Thinking Through Language. London: Routledge, 1998. 98 p.
3. Phelizon J.-F. Vocabulaire de la linguistique. Paris: Roudil, 1976. 280 p.
4. Igboanusi H. Language Contact and Bilingualism. Ibadan: University Press Limited, 2008. 116 p.
5. Mother Tongue Education: The West African Experience / ed. by A. Bamgbose. Paris: UNESCO, 2006. 110 p.
6. Kachru B.B. The Handbook of World Englishes / ed. by B.B. Kachru, Y. Kachru, C.L. Nelson. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. 833 p.
7. Falola T., Genova A. Historical Dictionary of Nigeria. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2009. 423 p.
8. Mair C. The Politics of English as a World Language. N. Y.: Rodopi, 2003. 497 p.
9. Schneider G.D. Preliminary Glossary: English - Pidgin English. Ohio: Ohio University, 2001. 76 p.
10. Simons G.F., Fenning C.D. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Dallas: SIL International, 2017. 33 p.
11. Багана Ж., Волошина Т.Г. Особенности функционирования английского языка в Нигерии // Уч. зап. Орл. гос. ун-та. 2018. № 1(78). С. 81-83.
References
1. Thomason S.G., Kaufman T. Language contact, creolization, and Genetic Linguistics. Berkley, 1988. 411 p.
2. Adetugbo B.S. Transformations. Thinking Through Language. London, 1998. 98 p.
3. Phelizon J.-F. Vocabulaire de la linguistique. Paris, 1976. 280 p.
4. Igboanusi H. Language contact and Bilingualism. Ibadan, 2008. 116 p.
5. Bamgbose A. (ed.). Mother Tongue Education: The West African Experience. Paris, 2006. 110 p.
6. Kachru B.B., Kachru Y., Nelson C.L. (eds.). The Handbook of World Englishes. Malden, 2006. 833 p.
7. Falola T., Genova A. Historical Dictionary of Nigeria. Lanham, 2009. 423 p.
8. Mair C. The Politics of English as a World Language. New York, 2003. 520 p.
9. Schneider G.D. Preliminary Glossary: English - Pidgin English. Ohio, 2001. 76 p.
10. Simons G.F., Fenning C.D. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Dallas, 2017. 33 p.
11. Baghana J., Voloshina T.G. Osobennosti funktsionirovaniya angliyskogo yazyka v Nigerii [Peculiarities of English Functioning in Nigeria]. Uchenye zapiski Orlovskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta, 2018, no. 1, pp. 81-83.
DOI: 10.17238/issn2227-6564.2019.6.56
Jerome Baghana
Belgorod National Research University; ul. Pobedy 85, Belgorod, 308015, Russian Federation;
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6061-3288 e-mail: [email protected]
Tat'yana G. Voloshina
Belgorod National Research University; ul. Pobedy 85, Belgorod, 308015, Russian Federation;
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6532-1572 e-mail: [email protected]
THEORETICAL PROBLEMS OF BORROWING AND INTERFERENCE UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF LANGUAGE CONTACT
This article studies the theoretical questions concerning the interrelation of such linguistic phenomena as borrowing and interference within the framework of contact linguistics. The authors analyse the theoretical foundations of these two concepts, which describe the enrichment of the vocabulary of a language by borrowing words from other languages, including processes that change the meaning of words. A critical analysis of the existing material reveals conflicting ideas in the variety of linguistic approaches over different periods of time. The main focus of the research is on the criteria for the presentation of the basic features necessary to identify the common and distinguishing characteristics of the analysed definitions. It is pointed out that, in structural terms, a loanword functions as an unnatural element, which then assimilates into the recipient language. Interference, on the other hand, is characterised by changes in the structure of words or concepts and varies in intensity across different social groups depending on the level of foreign language proficiency (the level of interference tends to be higher in poorly educated people). It should be noted that interference typically occurs when a speaker perceives a word in his or her native language to be an international word. Under external influences, interference is capable of changing certain elements and incorporating some other elements within the structure of a language.
Keywords: borrowing, interference, language contact, bilingualism, linguistic variation.
Поступила: 17.01.2019 Принята: 26.09.2019
Received: 17 January 2019 Accepted: 26 September 2019
For citation: Baghana J., Voloshina T.G. Theoretical Problems of Borrowing and Interference Under the Conditions of Language Contact. Vestnik Severnogo (Arkticheskogo) federal'nogo universiteta. Ser.: Gumanitarnye i sotsial'nye nauki, 2019, no. 6, pp. 56-60. DOI: 10.17238/issn2227-6564.2019.6.56
