University of Belgrade Lexicology

Faculty of Philology

ENGLISH CALQUES IN SERBIAN

LANGUAGE

Professor: Student:
Jelisaveta Milojević Vladislav Mihailović, 091039
 ABSTRACT

The goal of this research is to show and explore the growing number of English
calques in Serbian language. I aim to find and contrast several definitions as well as
extract and analyze the most important and interesting examples. At the end I am going to
summarize and give my conclusion on the subject matter.

I chose this topic for my research because it cannot be denied that English
language is becoming a predominant force in world-wide communication and many other
lanugages are adopting English words. This paper focuses on the effect the English
language has on Serbian vocabulary in particular, mostly among the younger population.

Key words: definitions of calques, types of calques, examples of English calques in

Serbian language

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 SAŽETAK

Cilj ovog rada je prikaz i istraživanje rastućeg broja engleskih kalkova u srpskom
jeziku. Namera mi je da nađem i uporedim nekoliko definicija kalkova kao i da izolujem i
analiziram najbitnije i najzanimljivije primere. Na kraju ću sumirati i dati svoj zaključak
o temi.
Izabrao sam ovu temu zato što se ne može poricati da engleski jezik postaje
vodeća sila u komunikaciji širom sveta i da mnogi drugi jezici preuzimaju engleske reči.
Ovaj rad se fokusira na uticaj engleskog jezika na srpski vokabular, posebno među
mlađom populacijom.

Ključne reči: definicije kalkova, vrste kalkova, primeri kalkova iz engleskog jezika u
srpskom jeziku

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. WHAT ARE CALQUES?...................................................................................... 5

COMPARISON OF THE DEFINITIONS………………………......……6
TYPES OF CALQUES……………………………………………...……6

2. EXAMPLES OF CALQUES………………………………………………...……7

3. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………8

4. BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………....9

4
 “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk
to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”
― Nelson Mandela

WHAT ARE CALQUES

Calques are words borrowed from another language and literally translated.
French, from calquer, to trace, copy, from Italian calcare, to press, from Latin calcāre,
to tread on, from calx, heel.
Following are the definitions from the most notable dictionaries of English language.

Calque
A form of borrowing from one language to another whereby the semantic components of
a given term are literally translated into their equivalents in the borrowing language.1

Calque
To form (a word or phrase) through the process of loan translation.2

Calque
An expression adopted by one language from another in a more or less literally translated
form.3

Calque
A word or expression used in a language that has been translated from another language.4

1. Comparison of the definitions

As it is evident there are no major disagreements in the definitions of the word

calque. The most extensive definition of the word is given in the The American
Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language.
1
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by
Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights
reserved.
2
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005,
1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
3
Oxford English Dictionary © 2014 Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
4
Macmillan Dictionary © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2009–2014. All rights reserved.

5
 All of the dictionaries also agree that the term calque is synonymous with the
term loan translation.

From all this we can conclude that a calque is a word or a phrase borrowed or
taken from another language and more or less literally translated (using the process of
loan translation) including it’s structure and semantic meaning.

2. Types of calques

Calques are usually formed due to the lack of language capabilities, irresponsible
translations and certain languages being predominant in specific fields. They are also
commonly formed with new technologies and innovations.

Sintaktički ili frazeološki kalk je kalk koji obuhvata duži izraz ili rečenični obrt.
Semantički kalk predstavlja pozajmljivanje značenja, kada već postojeća reč u nekom
jeziku dobije novo značenje po uzoru na neku stranu reč.5

As Ivan Klajn states there are two types of calques: syntactic and semantic
calques. Semantic calques focus on the semantic component, the meaning of the word,
and syntactic calques focus on the relation between two or more words in a phrase as well
as the meaning.

5
Клајн, Иван (2007) (на српском). Испеци па реци (треће издање ed.). Нови Сад: ИК Прометеј.
ISBN 978-86-515-0130-5.

6
 EXAMPLES OF CALQUES
Workshop – Radionica › Radna grupa
- Workshop - A seminar, discussion group, or the like, that emphasizes
exchange of ideas and the demonstration and application of techniques, skills, etc.6
- Radionica – Prostorija u kojoj se nesto izradjuje ili popravlja.7
This is a semantic calque. The word “Radionica” is now widely used representing a
seminar or a discussion group.

Just give me a couple of minutes – Samo mi dajte par minuta

This is a syntactic calque. This construction is now equally or even more commonly used
than the Serbian semantic equivalent “Sačekajte me malo”

Skyscraper – Neboder
Sky – Nebo
Scrape – Derati
This is a semantic calque. In this example we can see that both words used in derivation
of the skyscraper had been translated and then made into a compound word in a similar
fashion.

Brain drain - Odliv mozgova

This is a semantic calque. Here we can clearly see the reason behind the existence of the
phrase in English language, however, some of the the elements (such as rhyme) had been
lost in the process.

Mockingbird - Ptica rugalica

- Mockingbird - Any of several gray, black, and white songbirds of the genus Mimus,
especially M. polyglottos, of the U.S. and Mexico, noted for their ability to mimic the
songs of other birds.8
This is a semantic calque. In this example it is evident that the Mockingbird got its
nickname by mimicking other birds, however, knowledge of the fact is required to fully
appreciate the meaning and that is why the correct translation would be “američki drozd”.

Drinking water - Pijaca voda

This is a syntactic calque. Although we have a construction that is far more
natural in our language, “voda za piće”, we adopted this loan translation which is now
commonly used. The English construction (-ing form + noun) is still evident.
6
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition 2009 © William Collins Sons & Co.
Ltd. 1979
7
Recnik Matice Srpske 1973, Matica Srpska - Novi Sad
8
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition 2009 © William Collins Sons & Co.
Ltd. 1979

7
 CONCLUSION
In my opinion, it is irrefutable that the English language is spreading around the
world with the development of technology and has already become a universal language
for communication in all fields, and that is why, not only Serbian, but many other
languages are affected by it. Given the situation and the circumstances it is not surprising
to see not only loan words but loan translations as well. Since most of the calques come
into existence because of incorrect translations and errors in interpretation they are fairly
often seen as something bad or something having a negative connotation. However, this
is not always the case. Language is a tool as well as an art form so sometimes the art
aspect is neglected for the sake of convenience or simple utilitarian function, and that is
when new constructions and words are produced, however, the units that are produced in
this way are often frowned upon unlike the ones born for the sake of art.

In conclusion, language is a living entity that changes and moulds with time and
needs and although effort should be made to preserve it, innovations should not be
shunned but explored, noted and embraced.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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1. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition 2009 © William
Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979

2. Recnik Matice Srpske 1973, Matica Srpska - Novi Sad

3. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by
Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

4. Клајн, Иван (2007) (на српском). Испеци па реци (треће издање ed.). Нови Сад:
ИК Прометеј. ISBN 978-86-515-0130-5.

5. Macmillan Dictionary © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2009–2014. All rights

reserved.

6. Oxford English Dictionary © 2014 Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

7. Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd.

Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

8. Biljana Đ. Đorić-Francuski, Površinsko prevođenje kao jedan od načina hibridizacije

srpskog i odomaćivanja anglosrpskog jezika.