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Posts: 335

Shifu

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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?

12 years 38 weeks ago in  Culture - China

 
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Posts: 436

Shifu

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Chinese girls borrow their english names from GOSSIP GIRLS .

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12 years 38 weeks ago
 
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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12 years 38 weeks ago
 
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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12 years 38 weeks ago
 
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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12 years 38 weeks ago
 
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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 19 weeks ago
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11 years 17 weeks ago
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981977405:

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

11 years 13 weeks ago
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12 years 19 weeks ago
 
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 17 weeks ago
 
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 13 weeks ago
 
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