Wanderwort

Common card · No. 471620

A Wanderwort (German: [ˈvandɐvɔʁt] translated from German as 'migrant word', literally "wander word", sometimes pluralized as 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, Wanderwörter are a curiosity in historical linguistics and sociolinguistics within a wider study of language contact. At a sufficient time depth, it can be very difficult to establish in which language or language family a Wanderwort originated and into which it was borrowed, serving as another Wanderwort characteristic in linguistics. Frequently, they are spread through trade networks, or through the adoption of external technological, economic, or cultural practices. Common examples of Wanderwörter are used to describe a previously unfamiliar domesticated plant or animal in Eurasia and Africa.

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