Influenţa limbii engleze asupra limbii române. Studiu de caz: limbajul gamerilor

Abstract

Extensively studied by the research community, the influence of English on Romanian is a complex linguistic phenomenon illustrating various complex cultural, economic, political phenomena. This paper aims to present the importance of Anglicisms in the lexical configuration of the language of gaming in Romania. This specialized Romanian language, which is in the early stages of its existence and which has not yet been studied, is characterised, at the lexical level, by a large proportion of Anglo-Saxon elements. The main purpose of this study is to present, in a descriptive note, the Anglicisms identified in the language of gaming in Romania. In this respect, a distinct category, revealing the concept of the linguistic creativity, consists of Anglicisms that function, together with Romanian lexical elements, in collocations created according to an English pattern: e.g. a da damage (to do damage): to cause damage (to an opponent in a game); a lua damage (to take damage): to suffer damage (as a result of the hits received from an opponent in a game). The analytical approach of the Anglicisms of Romanian gaming language presupposes the establishment of a series of distinctions according to multiple criteria, such as necessity, adaptation, presence in dictionaries etc. Another section of this paper contains a delimitation within the investigated Anglicisms based on the opposition specialized – non-specialized, regarding English especially, since a series of Anglicisms belonging to the language of gaming in Romania come from etimonies which in English are non-specialized.In terms of sources, this research involves multiple online platforms and forums of Romanian gamers, electronic and printed magazines and, last but not least, my own experience in gaming.