Wanderwort

{{Short description|Linguistic term for a widely dispersed word}} {{Italic title}} A '''{{lang|de|Wanderwort}}''' ({{IPA|de|ˈvandɐvɔʁt|lang}} {{gloss|migrant word}}, sometimes pluralized as '''{{lang|de|Wanderwörter}}''', usually capitalized following German practice) is a word that has spread as a loanword among numerous languages and cultures, especially those that are far away from one another. As such, {{lang|de|Wanderwörter}} are a curiosity in historical linguistics and sociolinguistics within a wider study of language contact.<ref name="Trask2000">{{cite book |first=Robert Lawrence |last=Trask |title=The Dictionary of Historical and Comparative Linguistics |url={{GBurl|id=EHeGzQ8wuLQC|p=366}} |access-date=12 October 2014 |date=January 2000 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=1-57958-218-4 |page=366}}</ref> At a sufficient time depth, it can be very difficult to establish in which language or language family a {{lang|de|Wanderwort}} originated and into which it was borrowed.

Frequently, they are spread through trade networks, sometimes to describe a previously unfamiliar plant, animal or food.

== Examples == {{more citations needed section|date=June 2023}} Typical examples of {{lang|de|Wanderwörter}} are ''cannabis'', ''sugar'',<ref name="HockJoseph1996">{{cite book |first1=Hans Henrich |last1=Hock |first2=Brian D. |last2=Joseph |title=Language History, Language Change, and Language Relationship: An Introduction to Historical and Comparative Linguistics |url={{GBurl|id=oGH-RCW1fzsC}} |access-date=12 October 2014 |date=1 January 1996 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=3-11-014784-X |page=254}}</ref> ''ginger'', ''copper'',<ref name="Trask2000" /> ''silver'',<ref name=Boutkan2001>{{cite journal |last1=Boutkan |first1=Dirk |last2=Kossmann |first2=Maarten |date=2001 |title=On the Etymology of 'Silver' |url= https://www.academia.edu/7873558 |journal=North-Western European Language Evolution |volume=3 |pages=3–15 |doi=10.1075/nowele.38.01bou |access-date=12 October 2014}}</ref> ''cumin'', ''mint'', ''wine'', and ''honey'', some of which can be traced back to Bronze Age trade. [[File:CamelWanderwörter.png|thumb|260x260px|Four Wanderwörter with the meaning 'camel'. Extensive loaning has carried Semitic, Turkic, Indo-Iranian, and Chinese words for 'camel' throughout Africa and Eurasia.]] ''Tea'', with its Eurasian continental variant ''chai'' (both have entered English), is an example<ref name="Trask2000" /> whose spread occurred relatively late in human history and is therefore fairly well understood: ''tea'' is from Hokkien {{lang|zh|茶}} {{translit|zh|tê}}, specifically Amoy dialect, from the Fujianese port of Xiamen, hence it is the maritime variant, while {{lang|zh|茶}} {{translit|zh|chá}} (whence ''chai'')<ref>{{cite web |url= http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/chai |title=chai |work=American Heritage Dictionary |quote=chai: A beverage made from spiced black tea, honey, and milk. Etymology: Ultimately from Chinese (Mandarin) {{translit|zh|chá}}.}}</ref> is used in Cantonese and Mandarin.<ref>{{cite web |work=The World Atlas of Language Structures Online |title=Feature/Chapter 138: Tea |first=Östen |last=Dahl |publisher=Max Planck Digital Library |url= http://wals.info/feature/138 |access-date=4 June 2008}}</ref> {{Crossreference|(See etymology of tea for further details.)}}

''Chocolate'' and ''tomato'' were both taken from Classical Nahuatl via Spanish into many different languages, although the specific origin of ''chocolate'' is obscure.

''Farang'', a term derived from the ethnonym ''Frank'' through Andalusian Arabic, refers to foreigners (typically white and European ones). From the above two languages, the word has been loaned into many languages spoken on or near the Indian Ocean, including Hindi, Thai, and Amharic, among others. It also existed in Russian in the form "{{lang|ru|фрязин}}" with the same meaning.

''Kangaroo'' was taken from the Guugu Yimithirr word for the eastern grey kangaroo; it entered English through the records of James Cook's expedition of 1770 and through English to languages around the world.

''Orange'' originated in a Dravidian language (likely Tamil, Telugu or Malayalam), and its likely path to English included, in order, Sanskrit, Persian, possibly Armenian, Arabic, Italian, and Old French. {{Crossreference|(See {{section link|Orange (word)#Etymology}} for further details.)}}

The words for 'horse' across many Eurasian languages seem to be related such as Mongolian {{lang|mn|морь}} ({{translit|mn|mor}}), Manchu {{lang|mnc|ᠮᠣᡵᡳᠨ}} ({{translit|mnc|morin}}), Korean {{lang|ko|말}} ({{translit|ko|mal}}), Japanese {{lang|ja|馬}} ({{translit|ja|uma}}), and Thai {{Lang|th|ม้า}} ({{translit|th|máː}}), as well as Sino-Tibetan languages like Mandarin {{lang|zh|馬}} ({{translit|zh|mǎ}}). It is present in several Celtic and Germanic languages, for example Irish {{lang|ga|marc}} and English ''mare''.<ref>{{Cite book |url={{GBurl|id=tzU3RIV2BWIC|p=274}} |title=Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture |isbn=1-884964-98-2 |last=Adams |first=Douglas Q. |date=1997|publisher=Taylor & Francis }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url={{GBurl|id=Sww9AAAAIAAJ|q=horse}} |title=Sino-Tibetan: A Conspectus |last=Benedict |first=Paul K. |editor-last=Matisoff |editor-first=James A. |date=15 June 1972}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}} {{Wiktionary|Wanderwort}}

Category:Etymology Category:Words Category:Historical linguistics Category:German words and phrases Category:Language geography