Actually, when you use a word like ketchup you aren’t speaking Mandarin, you’re speaking English. Ditto Hamburger and the rest. The words are etymologically German and so on, but they’re freely used by English-speaking people who wouldn’t understand the simplest sentence in German, French, or whatever. (Or utter one.)
Indeed, it’s practically impossible to frame a normal-sounding English sentence without using words that are “borrowed” (better: “copied”) from some other language.
(In that statement, practically, impossible, normal, sounding, sentence, using, language are all ultimately from Latin, though most have passed through French on the way to being English.)
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] over 5 years ago
And don’t forget liberty cabbage.
AndrewSihler over 5 years ago
Actually, when you use a word like ketchup you aren’t speaking Mandarin, you’re speaking English. Ditto Hamburger and the rest. The words are etymologically German and so on, but they’re freely used by English-speaking people who wouldn’t understand the simplest sentence in German, French, or whatever. (Or utter one.)
Indeed, it’s practically impossible to frame a normal-sounding English sentence without using words that are “borrowed” (better: “copied”) from some other language.
(In that statement, practically, impossible, normal, sounding, sentence, using, language are all ultimately from Latin, though most have passed through French on the way to being English.)