Calquing

/ˈkæl.kɪŋ/ verb

Definition

The process of creating a new word by translating each part of a word from another language literally into equivalent words.

Etymology

Present participle of 'calque,' formed with the suffix '-ing.' This describes the ongoing linguistic process of calque formation.

Kelly Says

Calquing is how languages stay 'pure' while still borrowing concepts—instead of saying 'kindergarten' in English, German speakers kept their original 'Kindergarten' but English calqued it to 'children-garden,' which we never used, so we just borrowed the whole German word.

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