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Ludovico

Posts: 335

Shifu

Q: Chinese loan words and 'Friends'?

Chinese has borrowed many words from the West, including sofa, humour, and caffeine. In fact, looking at these, it would appear that the loan words have all come exclusively from the US sitcom 'Friends'. Why do the Chinese use this popular sitcom as their basis for borrowing new words?

13 years 17 weeks ago in Culture - China

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sunilsah2050

Posts: 436

Shifu

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Chinese girls borrow their english names from GOSSIP GIRLS .

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13 years 17 weeks ago

juneyao

Posts: 91

Governor

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Why do you think the loan words have all come exclusively from the US sitcom 'Friends'?

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13 years 17 weeks ago

Ludovico

Posts: 335

Shifu

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Juneyao,

Have you ever watched 'Friends'? 90% of the time, they are sitting on a SOFA, drinking coffee (CAFFEINE), and cracking jokes (HUMOUR).

Something's fishy there...

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13 years 17 weeks ago

juneyao

Posts: 91

Governor

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Of course, I did.
But the loaned words you picked out was used far far before the "Friends" come out. Humor as far as I know already put to use in 1930s

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13 years 17 weeks ago

bradb

Posts: 73

Governor

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Have you forgotten than >60% of English words are borrowed from other languages ?

rich45:

yea, but not form a sticom

12 years 50 weeks ago

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paulmartin:

that

11 years 48 weeks ago

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981977405:

and in turn those words were borrowed from other languages ...

11 years 44 weeks ago

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12 years 50 weeks ago

mattaya

Posts: 2604

Shifu

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Probably because the Sitcom 'Friends' was popular for some time. Now that they won't have any more episodes they still show reruns and the loan words that you are speaking of could have just came to them in a dream.

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11 years 48 weeks ago

Scandinavian

Posts: 9631

Emperor

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...I have seen no evidence that the Chinese have borrowed the word "humor" but rather "embarrassing platitudes"

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11 years 44 weeks ago

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