Each natural language in the process of its development resorts to borrowing words from other languages. Such adoption is the result of relationships and contacts between different peoples and states. The reason for borrowing foreign vocabulary is due to the lack of appropriate concepts in the vocabulary of some peoples.
Today, English is an international medium of communication. This is understandable, because the English-speaking world is ahead of other societies in all areas of development. English through the Internet space, in particular, social networks, helps people from different countries and cultures interact.
Interest in this language arose in connection with the popularization of pop culture. Passion for American films, music of various directions and genres led to the unhindered introduction of English into Russian. New words began to be used by most of the population, regardless of gender and social status. English terms are spreading rapidly around the world. In the modern Russian literary language, they occupy a whole layer, but do not exceed 10% of the total vocabulary.
History of Anglicisms
The history of borrowing from English into Russian began its reckoning from the end of the 16th century, and so far this process has not stopped. There are 5 main stages of development of the English-Russian language interaction. They are characterized both in chronology and in semantics.
The history of Englishism in Russian begins with the anchoring of the ship of the English king Edward VI in the harbor of St. Nicholas, at the mouth of the Northern Dvina, on August 24, 1505. The British were looking for a market, so the two countries made strong and fairly regular ties. Language contacts were characterized by diplomatic and trade relations. At that time, the notation of measures, weights, monetary units, forms of circulation and the names of titles (pound, shilling, Mr., sir) were borrowed.
The second stage is called the Petrine era. Thanks to the reforms of Peter I, relations with many European states took root, and culture, education, and the development of naval and military affairs began to spread actively. At this stage, 3,000 words of foreign origin entered the Russian language. Among them, there were about 300 Anglicisms. Basically, words were borrowed that related to maritime and military affairs (barge, rush), household vocabulary (pudding, punch, flannel), as well as to the fields of trade, art, literature, science and technology. Many adopted vocabulary denoted phenomena and processes previously unknown to the Russians.

Stage III arose due to the intensification of Anglo-Russian relations at the end of the XVIII century in connection with the increase in the prestige of England throughout the world. Penetrated into the language sports and technical terms (sports, football, hockey, rail), vocabulary from the sphere of public relations, politics and economics (department, elevator, square, jacket, trolley). The end of the stage is considered the middle of the XIX century.
Stage IV is characterized by a deep acquaintance of Russians with England and America, a point of contact in the field of literature and art. A large number of Englishisms penetrated the language into the following thematic groups: history, religion, art, sports, domestic and socio-political sphere.
V stage of borrowing (the end of the XX century - our days). Various groups of terms entered the vocabulary of Russian people: business (laptop, badge, timer, organizer), cosmetic (concealer, make-up, lifting cream), names of dishes (hamburger, chisburger).
Today, many popular loanwords go beyond literature and professional communication. The terms used by the media and advertising are often incomprehensible to the average man and are designed for basic knowledge of the English language. However, Englishism in the Russian language is a normal phenomenon, and even necessary in some historical periods.
The reasons for the appearance of English in Russian
At the beginning of the 20th century, many linguists studied the reasons for the penetration of foreign vocabulary into the language. Any Englishism in the Russian language, according to P. Krysin, appears for the following reasons:
1. The need to name a new phenomenon or thing.
2. The need to distinguish between fairly close, but still different concepts.
3. The tendency to designate an entire object with one concept, and not with several united words.
4. The need for separation of concepts for specific goals or areas.
5. Relevance, prestige, expressiveness of a foreign concept.
The reasons for borrowing Anglicisms in modern Russian are actually much more extensive. One of them is that the number of Russian people who speak English has increased. At the same time, the use of foreign vocabulary by authoritative personalities and popular programs also gave a powerful impetus to the development of this process.
The entry of the English
As it turned out, borrowing foreign vocabulary is the main way to enrich the language, the reason for its development and functioning. V. M. Aristova in her work examined 3 stages of the introduction of English vocabulary into the Russian language:
- Penetration. At this stage, the borrowed word only falls into vocabulary and adapts to the norms of the Russian language.
- Assimilation. This stage is characterized by the action of folk etymology, that is, when a word of incomprehensible content is filled with a closely sounding or similar in meaning concept.
- Rooting. At the last stage, Englishism in the Russian language is fully adapted and is already actively used. The new concept takes on different spheres of meaning, an abbreviation and cognate words appear.
Mastering English in Russian
New words are gradually being adapted to the system of the language as a whole. This process is called assimilation, that is, assimilation. To study and analyze borrowing is necessary in order to fully monitor the volume of new vocabulary and the process of its adaptation.
Anglicisms according to the degree of assimilation in the Russian language differ in fully assimilated, partially assimilated, non-assimilated.
Fully assimilated - words that correspond to all the norms of the language and are perceived by the speakers as native, non-borrowed words (sports, humor, film, detective) .
Partially assimilated - concepts that remained English in their spelling and pronunciation. Typically, such words exist in a language not so long ago, so their learning process continues. This group is divided into learned grammatically and graphically (DJ, smiley, fast food, freestyle) .
Unassimilated - words and expressions that are not fully absorbed by the borrowing language. This group may also include concepts that reflect the life of the source country (dollar, lady, jazz).
The main problems of the study of borrowing
The problem of the introduction of English is quite controversial. Some words are used only because they pay tribute to fashion. Others, on the contrary, have a positive impact, enriching and complementing Russian speech.
The following problems of studying borrowings are distinguished:
- Identify the ways in which new words are recognized.
- The study of the formation of Anglicisms.
- Identification of the causes of their appearance.
- The principles of the relationship of borrowing to various groups.
- Limit on the use of borrowing.
In solving these problems, linguists strive to find out under what conditions Anglicisms are created, why they are created, who creates them and how adaptation takes place in Russian vocabulary.
Justified and Unjustified Anglicisms
For a long time there has been a struggle between supporters and opponents of Anglicisms. On the one hand, new concepts enrich and complement the Russian language. On the other hand, a threat to the native language is perceived as a danger to the nation. Linguists identified 2 groups of Anglicisms: justified and unjustified.
The justified include concepts that previously did not exist in the Russian language. In this case, borrowing seems to fill in the gaps. For example: telephone, chocolate, galoshes .
Unjustified borrowings include words that previously denoted trademark names, and after entering the Russian language became common nouns. These Englishisms have a Russian version, but people use a foreign one, which undoubtedly worries linguists, since these words have derivatives. Examples include a jeep, diaper, copier.
Society's predisposition to borrowed words
In modern society, English terminology has become an indispensable part of the Russian language. Actual is the question of the attitude of Russian society to such borrowings.
Anglicism in the Russian language is spreading at a global rate, it is used in all spheres of human activity, serves to accurately transmit information. Some of these words are used in narrow circles of experts, so a simple, unprepared person can not immediately understand the meaning.
The borrowing process worries even ordinary citizens. However, it is already irreversible, since Anglicisms in modern Russian are increasingly penetrating vocabulary, especially in the fields of economics, technology and politics.
English proficiency
As already mentioned, society quite often uses borrowed words in its speech. This is actively manifested in the younger generation. A lot of sociological research was conducted, on the basis of which the following conclusions can be drawn:
- Most of the young people surveyed believe that today it is impossible to do without Anglicisms. At the same time, they clearly separate borrowed and original Russian words.
- In the activities of the young generation, borrowing is manifested due to the development of computer technology and technology, the use of the Internet and social networks.
- At the same time, young people often do not understand the borrowed words used in the media, political and economic sphere.
- The meaning of unknown anglicisms is selected only at an associative level.
Examples of Anglicisms
Anglicisms in the Russian language, examples of which are presented in the table, are usually divided into some areas for ease of study and analysis.
Sphere | Examples of Anglicisms |
Political | Administration, mayor, deputy |
Economic | Broker, investment, dealer |
Art | Theater, romance, opera |
Scientific | Metal, magnet, galaxy |
Sports | Sports, volleyball, fitness |
Religious | Monastery, angel |
Computer | Phone, display, website, file |
Musical | Track, remake, soundtrack |
Household | Bus, champion, jacket, sweater, peeling |
Marine business | Navigator, barge |
media | Content, Sponsor, Talk Show, Presentation |
The list of Englishisms in the Russian language is quite wide. All borrowings from English are presented in the dictionary of A. Dyakov.
The peculiarity of the use of Englishism in the media
The media play a significant role in the distribution of loan words. Through the press, television and the Internet, vocabulary penetrates into people's everyday speech.
All Anglicisms used by the media can be divided into 3 groups:
- vocabulary that has synonyms in Russian (for example, the word monitoring, that is, observation);
- concepts that did not exist before (for example, football) ;
- vocabulary printed in English (e.g. Shop Go, Glance).
The influence of English on Russian
Summing up all of the above, we can say with confidence that the influence of Anglicisms on the modern Russian language is both positive and negative. Implement borrowing, of course, is necessary, but this should not be a clogging of the tongue. For this, the meaning of Anglicisms should be understood and applied only if necessary. Only then will the Russian language develop.
The study of borrowing processes is of interest in theoretical and practical terms. Anglicisms in the Russian language, history and prospects, aspects of their use are very complex problems that require further study to develop recommendations.