A Study Of The Influence Of Loanword Translation On Modern Chinese Language

Loanword is the incorporation of foreign features into the native language by the speakers of that language. The basic linguistic characteristics of the native or recipient language are maintained but experience some changes by means of the addition of foreign features. In the Chinese language there are a large number of loanwords borrowed from other languages. The boom of loanwords and their translation exert a strong influence on the phonology, lexicon and grammar of modern Chinese language. A systematic study of loanword influence on modern Chinese language will facilitate our understanding of the contemporary usage of modern Chinese, and may provide guidance for the translation of loanwords. Loanwords are actually an introduction of new concepts or new items under the influence of alien cultures. By studying the influence of loanwords on modern Chinese language, we can have a deeper understanding of the transformation of language in contact.The whole thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter One is a brief introduction to the whole thesis. Chapter Two makes a brief survey of the study of Chinese loanword translation. Other relevant issues, including definition and classification of loanwords are also discussed. By proposing some research topics in current loanword studies, it addresses two fields that will be explored in this thesis. Chapter Three and Chapter Four is the core of the whole paper, which explains the influence of loanword translation on modern Chinese language in two major domains, namely, the morphological and semantic fields. Chapter Three probes into the morphological influence of loanword translation in the process of lexical borrowing, which triggers the development of new bound roots, new free words and proliferation of affixes. The morphological changes in modern Chinese are mainly reflected in two aspects, that is the morphemization and affixation. As a dynamic form of introducing foreign words to create new words, loanword translation brings about the transference of loan morphemes into modern Chinese and exhibits some distinct features of the new morphological system, such as prolificacy and flexibility. Chapter Four deals with the semantic influence of loanword translation, which consists of three categories: change in evaluation, semantic transference and semantic extension. By making the existing words multisemous, that is, to add a new meaning to a lexicon, the meanings of some modern Chinese words are multiplied. Chapter Five summarizes the major findings as well as limitations of this study, and presents suggestions for further research.The study of morphological and semantic change in modern Chinese language explores a new area in the study of the influence of loanword translation on modern Chinese language. The author of the thesis hopes that the present research will broaden the study of loanwords and deepen our understanding of the influence of loanword translation on modern Chinese language.