language and colonization
learning about the effects of colonization on a language’s vocabulary
Language is a curious thing; it can be so rigid and unwavering in components like grammar, but so prone to influence in components like the vocabulary.
With the rise of modern colonization in the 1500s, European and other colonial powers not only spread their influence through weaponry, government, and settlements, but through their languages as well.
Far after they left, traces of their presence can be spotted throughout the words of the people they ruled over. Whether its something new like a lorry or something pre-existing like a window, foreign words are used everyday in former colonies. Let’s take a look at a few examples of colonial influence!
അലമാരി • alamāri
This Malayalam word meaning wardrobe stems from its Portuguese equivalent armário.
In South India, specifically Kerala, Goa, and Tamil Nadu, the native languages have lots of Portuguese influence due to the trading post colonies Portugal set up during the 16th century.
가오 • gao
This Korean word, meaning face or reputation, entered from Japanese 顔 (kao) during Korea’s period of Japanese colonization from 1910 to 1945.
Although Europeans are widely remembered as “colonizers,” it is important to recognize the harsh and brutal history of Japanese colonization on East Asia during the 20th century. This, alongside various other tidbits of Japanese culture and products, remain in the Korean language to this day.
சாவி • sāvi
This Tamil word means key, and also comes from Portuguese (chave). The original Portuguese word is pronounced /ˈʃa.vi/ (shavi), but due to the transformation of fricatives to stops, the word was pronounced chaavi in Tamil, with that turning into saavi due to other phonological changes.
This is yet another example of Portuguese influence in South India. Another example in Tamil is ஜன்னல் (jannal), which comes from the Portuguese word janela, both meaning window.
bísi
This is a Lingala word meaning bus, originating from the identical French word bus.
Lingala is spoken in the central regions of Africa, primarily in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. France was one of the primarily colonizers of Africa, alongside the English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Belgian, and more.
Bus is a common word borrowed into countless languages across the world, usually taken from English. This shows not just the usage of foreign words for foreign concepts, but the recency of colonization to incorporate a word for such a new concept.
milyar
Dutch milyard is the origin of this Malay word, both meaning billion.
The Dutch had a strong presence in the Spice Islands of Asia, now located in modern-day Indonesia. Colonial establishments were set up there to act as a ruler over the spice trade, something that was, and still is, a very profitable market.
Bahasa Indonesia and Malay speakers never really adopted Dutch as a lingua franca for the region but, nevertheless, a variety of useful Dutch words were still incorporated into their languages.
नाताळ • nātāḷ
Yet another word of Portuguese origin, this Konkani word meaning Christmas comes from Portuguese Natal.
Konkani, an Indo-European language (unlike the Dravidian examples above), is the official language of Goa. Goa was one of the first Portuguese settlements in the area, and acted as a place to spread Christianity in India as well as start the spice trade. Due to this, Konkani adopted a myriad of Christian and general Portuguese terms into their lexicon, with nātāḷ just being one good example.
mayak
This is an Azerbaijani word meaning lighthouse, taken from Russian маяк (mayak).
During the 1800’s, Azerbaijan was acquired by the Russian Empire, and following the Soviet revolution, it was incorporated into the Soviet Union in the 1900s. Due to almost constant Russian influence since the 1800’s all the way up to the 2000’s by direct occupation, countless Russian words entered Azerbaijani (and the languages of various other former Soviet states as well).
In all, these are just a small, small, small, small, small, small, small (and a couple more smalls) percentage of colonial vocabulary used in the languages of their former colonies. In fact, this doesn’t tiny list doesn’t even include a single English word, a language that has definitely changed the innumerable languages of England’s former colonies.
Language is a curious thing; it isn’t just affected by its own speakers, but speakers around the world, and especially speakers who set themselves on a pedestal higher than the people they rule. Over 50 countries have an unfortunate past with colonization, but it’s important to consider the impact (positive and negative) that it has had on not just linguistic, but economic, societal, and cultural factors.
