THE USAGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF ANGLICISMS BY BOSNIAN EFL USERS

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the use of nominal and verbal Anglicisms by Bosnian high school students, the students’ familiarity with these Anglicisms and their attitudes towards them and it also aimed to see whether these factors vary with respect to the frequency of students’ use of English in speaking, listening, reading and writing. The findings point to a very frequent use of Anglicisms among Bosnian participants, particularly verbal Anglicisms which tended to be significantly more frequently employed than nominal Anglicisms, and slightly greater familiarity with the English form rather than with the Bosnian equivalent form. Moreover, the frequency of the use of Anglicisms was related to the frequency of reading and writing in English, while the familiarity with the Bosnian equivalent was significantly related to speaking and reading and familiarity with the English equivalent form to all four aspects of English language use. The participants also expressed rather positive attitudes towards Anglicisms, perceiving them as a useful addition and not a serious threat to their native language.

Keywords

• borrowing
• loan words
• anglicisms
• attitudes
• high school