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WAYS OF ENRICHING THE FRENCH LEXICON. LEXICAL UNIONS AND
ETYMOLOGICAL DOUBLETS
Egamberganova Shahlo Shuhrat kizi
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF UZBEKISTAN.
Department of French Philology. First-year Master's degree.
Annotation:
The French language boasts one of the richest lexicons in the world, with its
vocabulary continuo usly evolving due to loanwords from various languages and deep
etymological ties with neighboring tongues. This article analyzes the primary sources of lexical
enrichment in French, focusing on lexical borrowings (“emprunts lexicaux”) and etimological
doublets (“doublets étymologiques”). The article emphasizes that the lexical richness of French
is a result of historical, cultural, and linguistic exchanges..
Keywords:
French language, lexical evolution, loanwords, etymological doublets, language
contact, linguistic richness.
Аннотация:
Французский язык может похвастаться одним из самых богатых лексиконов в
мире, его словарный запас постоянно развивается за счет заимствований из разных языков
и глубоких этимологических связей с соседними языками. В этой статье анализируются
основные источники лексического обогащения французского языка, уделяя особое
внимание лексическим заимствованиям («emprunts lexicaux») и этимологическим
дублетам («doublets étymologiques»). В статье подчеркивается, что лексическое богатство
французского языка является результатом исторических, культурных и языковых обменов.
Ключевые
слова:
французский
язык,
лексическая
эволюция,
заимствования,
этимологические дублеты, языковой контакт, языковое богатство.
Annotatsiya:
Fransuz tili dunyodagi eng boy leksikalardan biri bo'lib, uning so'z boyligi turli
tillardan olingan so'zlar va qo'shni tillar bilan chuqur etimologik aloqalar tufayli doimiy ravishda
rivojlanib boradi. Ushbu maqola fransuz tilidagi leksik boyitishning asosiy manbalarini tahlil
qiladi, asosiy e'tibor leksik o’zlashtirma so’zlar ("emprunts lexicaux") va etimologik dubetllarga
("doublets étymologiques") qaratiladi. Maqolada fransuz tilining lug‘aviy boyligi tarixiy,
madaniy va lingvistik almashinuvlar natijasi ekanligi ta’kidlanadi.
Kalit so‘zlar:
fransuz tili, lug‘aviy evolyutsiya, o‘zga so‘zlar, etimologik dubletlar, til aloqasi,
lingvistik boylik.
Introduction:
The French language is considered one of the richest and most refined
languages in the world. Its lexical richness has been shaped by historical processes, cultural
exchange, technological development, and globalization. The vocabulary of the French language
has expanded through various means, and this process continues to this day.
In linguistics, especially from an etymological perspective, words that differ and are
borrowed into a language are called “lexical borrowings ” (or more commonly, “loanwords”) in
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lexicology and comparative linguistics. Tis is a precise process wherein a new word enters the
language's lexical sphere from another language.
Loanwords can be “direct” (meaning a word from another language is adopted without
any changes, entering directly) or “indirect” (meaning a word enters through one or more
intermediary languages).
Loanwords can be classified into the following types based on the expansion of their
meanings: neologisms, catachresis, and derivation. In later sections, the term lexicalization is
also introduced.
When words are borrowed from other languages, they typically belong to the lexical layer
of the vocabulary—specifically, words from the active reserve layer, such as nouns, verbs, and
adjectives. Words from the closed layer (e.g., pronouns, conjunctions) are rarely borrowed.
The influence of the source language plays a significant role in borrowing. For example,
the Gaulish Latin language assimilated several words from Germanic languages after multiple
invasions. However, borrowed words often retain much of their original form. For instance, the
Latin word "quidom" (a noun) was borrowed into French as "quelqu’un" (a pronoun).
Calquing (Loan Translation).The process of calquing is also noteworthy. For example:
The English "superman" and French "surhomme" were calqued into German as "Übermensch".
In both cases, the components were translated literally (“sur” → “über”, “home” → “Mensch”).
Lexical Assimilation . A borrowed word can be explained through several approaches,
none of which are mutually exclusive. The material aspect of a word (its phonetic form) may
fade in the borrowing language. When new plants or animals are discovered, their names are
often directly adopted. Examples:
- The word "avocat" in French comes from Nahuatl "auacatl", meaning:
1) “lawyer” (legal defender);
2) “avocado” (the fruit).
The two meanings merged due to cultural exchange between Spain and France.
- "Puma" originates from Quechua (a monosyllabic root).
- "Café" derives from Arabic "qahwa", which passed through Turkish ("kahve") before entering
French via Italian ("caffè¹ ").
Language Interference and Rapid Borrowing .Borrowing occurs quickly in cases of
language interference. For example: "Wassingue" (a floor cloth) in northern France comes from
West Flemish "wassching ". Northern French regions adopted many words (e.g., *"guerre,"
"heaume," "framboise"*) due to contact with speakers of other languages.The Role of Dominant
Languages Borrowing is not always significant (e.g., "serpillière" vs. "wassingue"). When
cultures interact, they exchange not only ideas but also words. Borrowed words are often
repurposed and used more frequently than native terms. Dominant languages - due to cultural,
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economic, or political influence - often become lexical donors. Examples: French military terms
("batterie", "brigade") spread across European armies during France’s hegemony. Italian musical
terms ("piano," "adagio") remain universal.Today, English dominates as the language of
technology ("bug," "bit"—which lack French equivalents) and business ("manager," "staff,"
"marketing," "budget").
The Phenomenon of Borrowed Words and Their Adaptation.Borrowed words often
exhibit a general tendency toward assimilation. For example, French terms like “rendez-vous”
or “déjà-vu” are borrowed from other languages but retain their original verbal inclination
(mood/tense structure). Non-lexicalized loanwords usually appear less natural compared to
native vocabulary. Once a word is borrowed, it gradually undergoes lexicalization, making its
foreign origin less noticeable over time. For instance: The word “redingote” comes from the
English "riding coat" (“manteau pour aller à cheval”). Its lexicalization process in French is tied
to long-standing usage. The term has been used in French since the 18th century, adapting to
French phonological and orthographic systems, eventually losing its original form.Many
borrowed words have been fully assimilated, and their etymology is only revealed through
linguistic analysis. Henri Voltaire provided statistical data on loanwords in French¹:
- Out of 60,000 French words, 8,600 (14.3%) are borrowed.
____________
¹ Андреева В. H. “Лексикология современного французского языка". Москва, 1955. стр. 56.
2
Henriette Walter, “L 'aventure des mots fran^ais venus d’ailleurs". Robert Laffont, 1997. p. 17.
- In a 35,000-word dictionary, 4,200 (12%) are loanwords.
- These borrowed words originate from:
- English (25%)
- Italian (16.8%)
- Gallic and Frankish tribal languages (13%)
- Arabic (5.1%)
Phonetic Adaptation in Borrowed Words .When a word is borrowed, it undergoes
phonetic adaptation to fit the target language’s sound system. Rarely do two languages have
perfectly matching phonology. Examples:
1. Arabic "qahwa" → French "café": The Arabic [q] and [h] sounds do not exist in French. [q]
was replaced with [k], while [h] was dropped entirely.
2. English "big" → French "bigue" [beeg]: English [ɪ] does not exist in French, so it shifts to a
closer sound [i].
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3. Japanese Loanwords in English: Japanese has an open-syllable structure (e.g., "sofa" remains
"sofa"). However, English "milk" becomes "miruku" in Japanese because:Japanese lacks the [l]
sound, replacing it with [r].
4. Sanskrit Loanwords in Chinese & Japanese: "Bouddhisme" (Sanskrit) → Japanese
"bosatsu"."Bodhisattva" (Sanskrit) → Chinese "púsà" [phusa]
When a word is borrowed from one language into another, it undergoes morphological
adaptation. For example, the word "Taliban," which is used in the singular in some languages, is
actually the plural form in Persian, derived from the Arabic word "talib" (student). Similarly, the
word "tabib" (doctor) is used in Arabic as a plural form. This lexical borrowing conforms to the
grammatical rules of the recipient language—for instance, in French, this word takes the form
"talibans." Likewise, the word "Touareg" (referring to the Tuareg people) is derived from an
Arabic word used in the plural form, "Targi" (singular). Following French grammatical rules,
this word takes the form "un Touareg" (singular) and "des Touaregs" (plural).
Etymological doublets are one of the outcomes of linguistic borrowing. In French, two
words that differ in pronunciation and meaning may originate from the same Latin root but enter
the language through different paths. For example, the two French words “naïf” and “natif ” both
derive from the Latin word “nativum”, but they entered French at different times and through
different routes:
- The first, “naïf”, came from Vulgar Latin in the 12th century and evolved in meaning to denote
"naive, simple," losing its original sense.
- The second, “natif”, was borrowed later (in the 16th century) as a scholarly term from Latin,
retaining the meaning of “natural” or “native”.
Similarly, the French words “bank” (“bench, shoal”) and “banque” (“bank, financial institution")
both stem from the Latin “banca”, but:
- The first entered through popular speech,
- The second came via Italian, reflecting a later borrowing.
Etymological doublets are pairs of words that share the same origin but have acquired different
meanings, entering the French lexicon at distinct stages of its development.
Conclusion.
The lexical richness of the French language has been shaped by its historical
development and its connections with various cultures and languages. Lexical borrowings and
etymological doublets are vivid examples of the dynamic and adaptable nature of French. From a
linguistic perspective, French offers vast research opportunities due to its extensive vocabulary,
loanwords from different languages, and fascinating etymological doublets. The future evolution
of the French language will continue under globalization, with the emergence of new borrowings
and doublets, ensuring the constant renewal and enrichment of the language.
Bibliography:
1.Андреева В. H. “Лексикология современного французского языка". Москва,
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ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 03,2025
Journal:
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2. Henriette Walter, “L 'aventure des mots français venus d’ailleurs".
3.Dubois J. "Lexicologie du français moderne". Paris: Armand Colin, 2020.
4. Picoche J. "Dictionnaire étymologique du français". Paris: Le Robert, 2019.
5. Walter H. "L'aventure des mots français venus d'ailleurs". Paris: Robert Laffont, 2018.
