I found this topic interesting because I love words. I hope you like it too.
In my experience, it’s recently seemed rather one-way: Brits adopting words and expressions from the USA (e.g. laid back, French Fries, alumni, play-boy, couch potato). But we didn’t seem to be exporting much the other way.
Maybe we Brits find it makes our language more colourful, fun and expressive, perhaps more trendy, to use these words from the New World.
Anyway, it’s good to see in this BBC article that there is some demand for British words in the U.S. and that word exports are going well.
The Borrowers
It’s no secret that words have been “borrowed” across languages for centuries. English words are used in many different languages (words like weekend, toast, semi-final, walkover) and many words from computers and technology.
Of course, historically speaking, the English language itself has absorbed huge numbers of words from a wide array of languages. This is just a tiny sample:
- pyjamas – Persian
- cliche – French
- spiel – Yiddish
- delicatessen – German
- ombudsman – Scandinavian
- bangle – Hindi
- ketchup – Malay
- boob-tube (clothing) – Australia
Words play an important part in personal and business communication, at home and internationally. But have you ever considered the powerful impact your choice of words has in simple business conversations? Do you select words carefully enough?
For more information about this and related international communication topics download your free copy of our “International Business Tips” eBook.
Written for professionals who work internationally or in mixed-nationality teams, it gives practical tips on communicating in a compelling way – for meetings, presentations and conference calls.
Alison Haill is a specialist in communication and coaching skills, an Executive Coach with 30 years of experience working with clients in the UK and internationally face to face and by phone. A published author and founder of Oxford Professional Consulting, she is based in Oxford UK. Contact her on +44 1865 436 791 or alison.haill@opcoxford.com
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