Re: Borrowings

Carlos Thompson wrote:
> A recent borrowing: "chat", including verb: "chatear"  (pronounceable
> /tSate'ar/ or /tSa'tjar/) shows this narrowing of meaning.   _Chat_,
> _chatear_ then means: interactive written conversation throw electronic
> media.
Well, in my idiolect, at least, "chat" has come to mean specifically
"electronic communication thru instant messenger or real-time chatting
(as in ICQ's chat mode)".  I think that this is true of other people's
idiolects, at least, I've heard several people use "chat" with that
specific meaning.

> This lets me thing that when borrowing (from nat to nat, nat to con or
> con to con) usually the meaning is not the same but either a narrowing
> of the meaning (filling some gap) or even displacing the meaning.
Quite true, borrowing is rarely, if ever, retaining the exact same
meaning as the original.  Compare some Spanish-English borrowings.
Padre, for instance, is a colloquial term for a priest - even a
non-Catholic priest, sometimes.  Macho has acquired the pseudo-feminine
form "macha" in English for a tough woman.  On the other hand, some
borrowings are pretty close to their original meaning, tho often with
gender ignored.  "Amigo" is used for "friend", regardless of the sex of
the friend.

> Di mi beh em je lok mi ju je kom lon vu am je
What's this mean?  Is it one of your conlangs?

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