Just over 400 years ago, in 1620, the Mayflower ship set sail from England, bound for America.
The people aboard came to be known as the Pilgrims: mainly Protestant English families, looking to flee the influence of the Church of England in search of religious freedom.
This was the start of numerous cycles of emigration from Europe, the Old World, to America, the New World.
These pilgrims spoke English as would have been used in the time of Shakespeare (1564-1616). A few examples:
“Fare thee well !” Good-bye!
“How now !” How are you?
Mass Migrations
Mass migrations of people have been a recurring phenomenon for thousands of years. Mass emigration often comes as a result of hardship in the country of origin, which can be hit by:
- War, Civil War
- Natural disaster: Famine, mudslides, flooding, disease, crop failure
- Over-population
- Invasions of neighbouring people
- Poverty or social or economic strife
- Persecution: (political or religious)
Emigration comes in cycles and can create enormous upheaval for both the country of origin and the country for which an emigrant is bound.
A mass influx of people can and is likely to leave its mark on the language of the target host country.
Vikings in The British Isles
The Vikings began to appear on English coastlines at the end of the 700s AD. During the invasion of the Great Heathen Army of 865 AD, a number of members began to settle in England. Amongst the invading army were both Norwegians and Danes, some of whom became those early settlers. The Army itself spent many years trying to conquer parts of England. Eventually, Vikings settlers and native Britons came to an agreement for a partition of England into what was known as the Danelaw, stretching from the Scottish Border to East Anglia between the end of the 9th century and early 11th century.
Over the years a number of Old Norse words and customs began to be adopted. A number of towns in Northern England ending in ‘by’ were also named by the Vikings. ‘By’ means settlement in Old Norse. Some examples are Selby, Thornby, Hemsby and Filby. Here are a few examples of Old Norse words to be found in the English Language:
Bull – Boli
Club – Klubba
Egg – Eir / Egg
Foot – Fótr
Lad – Ladd
Law – Lag
Muck – Myki
Ransack – Rannsaka
Sister – Syster
Sky – Ský
Window – Vindauga
If you’d like to check out the influences of Viking Old Norse on the French language, check out this page…
Emigrants into the Americas
The United States of America is host to many cycles of immigration, whether forced (Africans in slavery) or by choice: English, Italian, German, Swedish, Irish, Mexicans, Chinese, other Latin American nationalities, Cubans, Koreans, Vietnamese.
Each ethnic group or nationality, brings its customs, values, and language to the host country. The result of this is an amazing melting pot of cultural diversity and a fusion of languages.
Cajuns
Take the Cajun population present in parts of Louisiana. They had previously settled in Acadia, what is known today as Nova Scotia, Canada. Many of these French colonists came over to Canada from the mid 1600s onwards and originated from Northern France: Picardy, Normandy and Brittany, and the Poitou.
Acadia gave birth to the short-form Cajun.
Expelled by the British Army, they moved to Louisiana, which was under French rule until around 1713. They brought with them their culture, their food, and their ‘Acadian’ language which had already started to devolve from its French Mother language.
In Louisiana, these Acadians also frequented English-speaking, Spanish-speaking, indigenous Indians and also the population of African slaves who gradually settled in the region. Their own Cajun language is a mixture of Acadian, French, English, Spanish, local Amerindian languages and Creole spoken by the slave community.
A few words in Cajun
Lagniappe: something extra given at no cost (comes from the Spanish ‘la ñapa’ meaning something extra)
Badgeuler: to nag, to argue.
Italian Emigration
In the 1800s and 1900s, up to 5 million Italians left Italy in search of a more prosperous life. Many came from the South of Italy, from some of the poorest regions. They were bound for the Americas: the USA, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina were the most popular destinations. Many inhabitants of Uruguay and Argentina have Italian lineage and speak both Spanish and Italian. Between the end of the 1800s and the first part of the 1900s, Italians represented one of the biggest immigrant communities in the USA.
A few Italian words integrated into American English
America was named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
Confetti: meaning small and sweet
Finale: meaning ‘The End’. Often used in music to depict a dramatic and tumultuous ending of a musical piece.
Stiletto: derived from the Italian word meaning ‘Little Stylus’. Stilo in Italian is the word for a dagger.
You can also check out the influences of Italian on the French language here…
Turkish in Germany
Since the end of WWII, Germany has welcomed a large Turkish population. Over a million Turks have taken German citizenship. They helped Germany undertake their economic miracle following the war. Here are a number of Turkish words that have found their way into German slang:
Babo: meaning Boss, Leader in German slang
Valla: meaning honestly!
If you’re interested, you can also check out the influences of the German language on the French language here…
Syrian Emigration to Europe
Syria has had its fair share of hardship: severe drought between 2006 and 2011, civil unrest during the Arab Spring in 2011 and the start of a Civil War in 2011. This war in Syria has resulted in a number of cities being bombed to rubble. The regime remains in place, but the country has seen a mass migration of the population, through Turkey and into Europe.
The population of Syria in 2010 was 21.4 million inhabitants. This dropped to 17.5 million in 2020.
The Refugee Crisis of 2015 was on a spectacular scale. The world witnessed hundreds of thousands of migrants walking from Southern Europe to various Northern European destinations.
Not only Syrians, but also Iraqis and Afghans. Germany was a popular destination for asylum-seekers. You might argue that the migrants voted with their feet and headed for Germany for the most.
Under Merkel, Germany took in 1 million refugees. It will be interesting to see the language of these new settlers will influence the German language over the coming years.
Colonial Immigration
A number of European countries built their Empire over several hundred years. France was very present in West, Central and North Africa. Since the end of the colonial period, France has welcomed millions of immigrants who have gone on to become French nationals. Both Arabic and Sub-Saharan languages have contributed to the French language over the years. You’ll often hear a number of Arabic words adopted into everyday French.
A few Arabic words integrated into French:
Kif-kif: six of one, half-a-dozen of the other
Bled: Arabic word meaning village. Often used to refer to a place that is in the middle of nowhere.
Toubib: slang for Doctor
Britain was very present in Southern and East Africa and of course the Indian Subcontinent. Equally, Britain has welcomed millions of people who have settled in Britain over the last 100 or so years. A number of words of Hindi have found their way into English language.
A few Hindi/Sanskrit words integrated into English:
Bunagalow: a house, Bengal-style: bangla in Hindi and Urdu
Guru: Teacher or priest
Mantra: from Hindi and Sanskrit: a word used during meditation
Pukka: means cooked or ripe. In UK Slang = genuine.
Pyjamas: meaning ‘leg garment’ (both Hindi and Urdu)
We’d love to hear about your thoughts on the influences of Foreign languages/customs on a nation host following different waves of Emigration. Feel free to leave your comments
Check out our blogpost on ‘Slang In Everyday Language‘
Resources:
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/united-states-and-canada/us-history/cajuns
Acadian-Cajun History and Culture – Evan Heimlich
https://www.statista.com/statistics/326599/total-population-of-syria/
http://www.colarussocohen.com/s7fwf/viking-town-names-in-england
