Japanese Loanwords in English

Abstract

The English language expands its vocabulary partly by borrowing words from other languages. When an English-speaking culture and a foreign culture have dynamic interaction, there is also a mutual exchange of loanwords by both languages. With the current dynamic interaction between Japan and North America, are more Japanese loanwords entering the English language? This paper presents a background to Japanese loanwords in English and presents a six-month survey of two popular American magazines to explore the contemporary borrowing of Japanese loanwords into English.