A STUDY ON THE ABBREVIATIONS OF ENGLISH LOANWORDS IN JAPANESE AND KOREAN

DAISUKE OOKAWA

ABSTRACT

This study is concerned with abbreviations of borrowed English words in Korean and Japanese.
These abbreviations are formed by methods that are different in nature from those in English or used
less frequently in English. Word truncation, by which many long words, especially loanwords and
compound nouns are shortened, is a productive word-formation process in Japanese and Korean (and
to a lesser extent, in English). Thus, these words are considered English loanwords affected by Japanese
or Korean phonology. They are recognized as English elements in Japanese and Korean formed by
Japanese and Korean native speakers. The abbreviations of English words created in Japan are observed
in Korea. Because Japanese words are accepted in the Korean phonological system, we cannot clearly
tell where many loanwords come from. For example, “inside work” (<clever play), “order made”
(<custom made), “necktie pin” (<tie clip), “goal in” (<reach the goal), “side business” (<side job), “dump
car” (<dump truck), “back mirror” (<rearview mirror), “milk tea” (<tea with milk), “running shirt”
(<athlete’s shirt), etc. However, even though native Koreans realized that some loanwords came from
Japan, those words were adopted in their general communication. To understand loanwords in Korean
and Japanese clearly, therefore, studies on abbreviations of English will be needed.
In chapter 1, the writer will review preceding studies and sort them out by themes. In chapter 2,
to understand why certain abbreviations of English were accepted in Korean and Japanese, I conduct a
contrastive analysis of accepted types of English loanwords in Korean and Japanese from the viewpoints
of phonology and semantics.
First, I research on the abbreviations of English words common to Japanese and Korean, for
example, “air con” (<air conditioner), “remo con” (<remote control), “ball pen” (<ball point pen),
“long seller” (<long-time seller), “ome-rice” (<omelet containing fried rice), “one-side game” (<one- sided game), “game set” (<game and set; game is over), etc. And then I examine abbreviations of
English words in Korean that is not used in Japanese, for example, “dica” (<digital camera), “note”
(<notebook personal computer), “dry” (<dry cleaning), “auto” (<automatic transmission), etc. Finally,
I consider abbreviations of English words that are formed from parts of words, for example, “maikɯ*”
(microphone), “toransɯ” (transformer), and many clipped words and blended words, for example,
“stocking” (nylon stockings). [*[ɯ]: unrounded u sound]
In terms of phonological systems, Japanese language has fewer sounds/segments than English,
so the notation of loanwords is different from English. That is one factor in the formation of Japanese
English Loanwords. The Korean language has more segments than Japanese, though it has fewer
segments than English. Thus, English loanwords are more easily transcribed in Korean. Likewise in the
syllable structure, Korean and Japanese loanwords insert vowels into originally vowel-less position, i.e.
in consonant groups, in the process of vowel epenthesis, so they include more syllables than the original
English words. Then, increasing syllables leads to many clipped words. According to Kubozono (2010),
between four-mora* words and five-mora words there is a clear division, specifically, five-mora or longer
words hardly exist in phonologically complex structures. He also says that with pseudo-compounds,
even if they are morphologically simplex, they are real compound words and abbreviations are formed
by deleting the latter parts of the words. They are confirmed in the abbreviations of English words,
for example, engagement ring (>“engage ring”), skating rink (>“skate rink”), one-sided game (>“oneside
game”). And parts with important meaning or grammatical functions in English are omitted
in Japanese and Korean. Japanese and Korean people do not have any problem with this, however,
because English is a foreign language, and it is all right as long as the original English meaning (or what
people believe to be the original English meaning) is understood. [*mora: phonological timing unit]
In terms of semantics, the original English meaning is sometimes modified in Korean and
Japanese loanwords, for example, “white shirt” (dress shirt), “rice” (rice served at Western restaurants),
“cunning” (cheating in exams), etc. These cases result from expansion, reduction, and change of
meaning in the process of English words borrowed into Japanese and Korean. The cause of meaning
change is due to linguistic, social and psychological factors.
In chapter 3, the writer considers differences in abbreviations of English words between Japanese
and Korean. Between the two languages, abbreviated words which are very different in word forms are
observed. This is partly because Korean admits segmental sounds [m, n, ŋ, p, t, k, l] in syllable-final
position, and partly because of differences in loanword acceptance in Japanese and Korean.
Considering linguistic and sociolinguistic background as causes of forming and spreading
abbreviated loanwords, the following can be said. The first cause is saving space and time. Abbreviations
are often used in newspapers, magazines and so on. This is because headlines must convey long content
in short and leave impression. The second is the element of slang or jargon. The press, fashion companies,and IT companies use many abbreviations, which practice is carried out for the purpose of reinforcing
cohesion within the group and excluding other people. In mass media, however, abbreviations are
sometimes used for the pretense of being erudite without knowledge of original meanings. The last
is intentional abbreviation. Apart from passing of time, sound changes, etc., the number of syllables
matters greatly. The cause of abbreviation, above all, is ease of pronunciation.
Abbreviations of English words can be obstacles in learning English. Thus, they are blamed.
Still, they exist in the Korean and Japanese languages. Therefore, we need the tolerance to accept
abbreviations of English words as part of Korean and Japanese through a correct understanding of
English loanword abbreviations.