Sessions

Exploring Loanword Usage in Japan and France

Japan is known to be highly permissive of the use of loanwords in Japanese, and this has resulted in lexical borrowing on a scale rarely seen in recent years. France has adopted a contrasting position, going so far as to enact a law to prohibit the use of foreign languages in advertising and a variety of other contexts in order to protect the French language. Loanword usage can have far-reaching implications not only for the languages in which the loanwords are used, but also for learners of the languages from which the loanwords originate. Some studies have argued that loanword cognates can serve as an invaluable resource for language learners, whereas others have pointed out that loanwords can negatively impact grammatical and pragmatic competence when learners perceive loanwords and their source words to be similar in meaning and usage. This presentation compares loanword usage and language policy in Japan and France and considers whether the language policy and sociolinguistic environment of each country have an effect on the proficiency of English language learners.