Pronunciation of English Loanwords in Spanish
Loanwords in Spanish
English is infamous for its use of loanwords, but did you know that there are loanwords in Spanish too? In this article, we’ll review some of the words that Spanish takes from English and how these words are pronounced.
Much to the Real Academia Española’s (Royal Spanish Academy) chagrin, Spanish has adopted quite a few anglicismos(anglicisms) or loanwords from English. Although organizations like the Fundación del Español Urgente(Foundation of Emerging Spanish)—often shortened to Fundéu—suggest Spanish alternatives for anglicisms, many native speakers of the language ignore these suggestions. For example, on Valentine’s Day, the Fundéu offered multiple Spanish words to use instead of the popular anglicism single.
The Pronunciation Changes!
It’s important to remember that these loanwords are NOT pronounced the same way in Spanish as they are in English. Remember that, in Spanish, each letter equals one sound. Thus, when pronouncing these English loanwords, Spanish speakers essentially pronounce them as if they were written in Spanish. For example, the word spray(spray) is pronounced by adding an “e” sound at the beginning, facilitating its pronunciation. Spanish speakers use the closest sound that Spanish has to the English original. Some words hardly change, while others may become unrecognizable to the English monolingual ear.
English Loanwords in Spanish
Spanish has taken loanwords from English in numerous fields; however, they seem to be most common in the fields of music and entertainment, sports, technology, fashion, and business and finance. Let’s look at some general loanwords taken from English. Be sure to listen to how each loanword is pronounced in Spanish.
Music and Entertainment
Many English loanwords in Spanish have to do with music and entertainment. This likely has a lot to do with the international appeal or marketing of English-language media. Let’s check out some of these loanwords!
How to Write English Loanwords with No Spanish Alternative?
According to the Fundéu’s advice, words like jazz should be written either in italics or between quotation marks. For example:
Mi hijo quiere ser trompetista y tocar jazz.(My son wants to be a trumpet player and play jazz.)
Sports
The world of sports is another field where we see numerous loanwords from English. Here are just a few of them:
| Loanword in Spanish | English | Spanish Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| club | club | palo |
| cricket | cricket | críquet |
| golf | golf | - |
| green | green | - |
| hockey | hockey | - |
| jogging | jogging | trote |
| rugby | rugby | - |
| waterpolo | waterpolo | polo acuático |
Technology
Due to the speed at which technology develops and its international scope, it’s almost inevitable that foreign loanwords for technology make their way into other languages. Spanish is no stranger to the use of English loanwords about technology! Here are a few examples of English technology-related loanwords.
Fashion
If you have ever picked up a Spanish fashion magazine, you’ll have realized that anglicisms are muy cool(very trendy) in the fashion world. Check out these loanwords!
Business and Finance
The last field that we’ll discuss in this article is business and finance. Again, it’s likely that the international reach of this sector has brought these English loanwords into the Spanish lexicon. Let’s check out a few of the terms that have been adopted and used in Spanish:
English Loanwords with a Change in Meaning
The words in this section are fun, but they can be confusing for native speakers of English who haven’t come across them before. Why? These are words that mean different things in English and in Spanish! Just like the loanwords we cited previously, these terms are pronounced using the closest sound that Spanish has to each sound in English.
If you’re a native English speaker, you might find it tough at first to pronounce these words. However, just remember to imagine you’re reading them with a Spanish accent.
Learn more loanwords and regional varieties of Spanish with these articles:
