English loanwords in Amharic textbooks: Formal and functional approaches

English loanwords in Amharic textbooks: Formal and functional approaches | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article English loanwords in Amharic textbooks: Formal and functional approaches Eba Teresa Garoma This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3805442/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 3 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study investigates the structure and function of English loanwords included in Amharic textbooks for grades 9 to 12. It used a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative content analysis and qualitative linguistic research to identify and classify a total of 311 high-frequency English loanwords that occur in the textbooks. An additional 512 loanwords were identified but were excluded due to low frequency. The study addresses the phonological and morphophonological adjustments made to incorporate the loanwords and reflects the linguistic strategies used to assimilate loanwords into Amharic phonology. This often includes the insertion of the vowel /ɨ/ to prevent unacceptable consonant clusters. Functionally, English loanwords in the textbooks cover a wide range of semantic areas, including law, politics, government, art, culture, science, and technology, and show where English has influenced local vocabulary. The results also show that although some loans are considered unnecessary, they play an important role in helping students become familiar with English. The study highlights the importance of maintaining a balance between the use of foreign words and the integrity of the native language to prevent language invasion. The findings contribute to the understanding of the dynamic relationship between language development and educational resources in the context of globalization and may serve as a guide and important resource for language policy and curriculum development. Amharic textbooks borrowing borrowed words language contact loanwords Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Submission checks completed at journal 27 Dec, 2023 Editor assigned by journal 27 Dec, 2023 First submitted to journal 25 Dec, 2023 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3805442","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":263600781,"identity":"24905bfd-8ca8-425f-ac6d-0bf300e8f1d5","order_by":0,"name":"Eba Teresa Garoma","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA3klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACCRiDvQFIGFgQpYWxAczgOQDSIoFPLboWiQQUS3EDfunm5w8+7rGx55/5/OqGHwUSDPzt3Ql4tUjOOWbYOONZWuKM2zllN3uADpM4c3YDXi0GNxIMm3kOHE5guJ2TdoMHqMVAIhe/Fvsb6R+b/xz4by9/80zazT/EaDGQyDFsZjhwgHHDDfZjt4myReLOmcKZPQeSEzeeyWG7LWMgwUPQL/yz2zd8+HHAzl7u+PFnN9/8sZHjb+/FrwUJ8BiASWKVgwD7A1JUj4JRMApGwQgCAHZ3TUGr6TfCAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Jimma University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Eba","middleName":"Teresa","lastName":"Garoma","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2023-12-25 18:59:39","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3805442/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3805442/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":109324974,"identity":"455e2a23-46f0-4662-a565-bc4c7a53a901","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-15 14:32:26","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":364720,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"EnglishloanwordsinAmharictextbooksresearchmanuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3805442/v1_covered_774d5f6e-36e7-4df5-a94d-92807eb7c0e1.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"English loanwords in Amharic textbooks: Formal and functional approaches","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"asian-pacific-journal-of-second-and-foreign-language-education","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jsfl","sideBox":"Learn more about [Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education](http://sfleducation.springeropen.com)","snPcode":"40862","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/40862/3","title":"Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education","twitterHandle":"@SpringerOpen","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC/SO AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Amharic textbooks, borrowing, borrowed words, language contact, loanwords ","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3805442/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3805442/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"This study investigates the structure and function of English loanwords included in Amharic textbooks for grades 9 to 12. 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