Italians, for some reason, tend to accept and use foreign terms quite easily. The foreign terms that have entered and are entering common usage are mainly from the English language. Their usage has been increasing so consistently in recent years that the main Italian language authority l'Accademia della Crusca has raised an official alarm regarding the 'invasion' of foreign terminology.
According to a recent study, the usage of English terms has increased by 773% in the last 8 years. L'Accademia has issued a petition 'Save the Italian Language ' and will officially ask the Italian Government, Public Administrations, Media and Public Companies to limit their use of foreign words and favour the Italian equivalent terms instead.
Whether this initiative will be successful or not (I really doubt it), this phenomenon is going to continue for years.
The following is just an example of everyday ordinary speech:
- "Domani alle nove ho un meeting col mio boss. Poi al lunch vedo la mia amica con cui faccio spinning in palestra e il pomeriggio devo chiedere alla baby-sitter di venire per il week-end." (It includes six english terms in just two sentences)
MY QUESTION:
What is the expression that describes this phenomenon?
P.S. I not looking for a definition of how the Italian language authority is reacting, but for a term for the phenomenon described which, to different extents, is present also in other languages.
I asked this question here and here but I have yet to receive a satisfactory answer ( Alenanno's good answer hints at 'contact and change'. Is there a more precise term?).
Best Answer
My suggestion: linguistic colonization. And here's why:
Some will deny that anything out of the ordinary is occurring here, and thereby refute the very question OP has presented, while others will suggest that the phenomenon OP refers to is merely the normal linguistic diffusion that has always occurred, and therefore suggest the employment of an established term, such as “adstratum”, “linguistic borrowings”, “contamination or pollution,” etc.
"An appropriate term for the 'contamination' of a language." The title of the OP would suggest the need for a term equal in strength to "contamination" rather than a term equivalent to "normal" linguistic "borrowings."
And I would agree that the hyper-accelerated pace of today’s linguistic diffusion, and its resulting impact, is unprecedented and can best be understood by relating it to a concomitant phenomenon, that of "invasive species,” (certainly a form of ecosystem contamination) the term used to describe the egregious diffusion of biological species from previously indigenous habitats into novel or foreign territory. See, Wikipedia “Invasive species” Link
Just as the invasive species phenomenon is largely driven by the exponential increase in international trade and travel resulting from the integration of modern transportation systems with modern communications technologies, so too its linguistic counterpart, which I will refer to as, "linguistic colonization,” is largely driven by modern technologies of mass communication (i.e., cinema, TV, the PC, the internet, and a plethora of mobile devices).
An "alien species" plays the biological role in the invasive species phenomena that "linguistic colonization" plays in the linguistic contamination OP seeks to describe.
While I personally admire the term “adstratum” and, to a lesser degree, "pollution," these terms wholly fail to convey the virulence of a word such as "contamination" and are inadequate to describe the speed, force, and breadth of the global domination of English terminology that OP refers to, for example:
The following excerpt, loosely translated, is taken from the same LINK as is provided in the OP:
The English Language in Nigeria:
Today’s progressive technologies and the globalization of mass media are driving an phenomenon which some feel is rapidly dissolving the historical boundaries between segments of society, societies, and even nations. This is known as “cultural convergence" or "cultural homogenization.” Culture is the integrated and dynamic social system of behaviors, characteristics, customs, language, artifacts, and symbols that distinguish one social group from another.
Related, of course, to this phenomena is the accompanying (and very real) fear of languages becoming the equivalent of endangered species.