Stylistic Motivation in Amharic Media Language Use

This article looked into the stylistic motivations of English words used in Amharic media. It used the qualitative descriptive approach to examine the data of this research so as to be able to investigate the stylistic motivation of language use in the Amharic media programs that are concerned with sport, medical science, and science and technology. Purposive sampling was used to select these programs, resulting in 1090 bilingual extracts. The English words were given due focus to examine the stylistic motivation that they have served in the Amharic media. In this study, it is found that there are numerous examples of English borrowing used in the Amharic media because they are shorter and more economical (i.e., for their brevity) than their Amharic counterparts. It is also found in this study that English loan words are used in Amharic media in order to precise some words for which there is no unequivocal Amharic equivalent. Employing variation of expression to avoid tedious recurrence of words in Amharic media is another finding in this study. Therefore, three aspects of the stylistic motivation developed by Galinsky are found to be available in the Amharic media language.

Introduction

Different authors see language styles differently. For example, K. Wales in Missikova [6] describes how, just as there are different ways of doing things, style can simply refer to the way of expressing oneself in writing and speaking.

Style as situation. As it is obvious, there are different styles for different situations; the same activity can be done in different styles. Thus, style here can be viewed as variation in language use, be it literary or non-literary. The common term used for systemic linguistic variation in register, especially in non-literary situations such as advertising, sports commentary, and legal language.

Style as a choice. Situation may not be the only factor that makes style differences. It may differ depending on the medium and degree of formality, the type of genre (in literary language), or the period in which it was used. Therefore, in all the above cases, style is distinctive. This is to mean that it is the set or sum of linguistic features of a register, genre, or period, among others. This definition of style especially works at the level of text. For example, Jane Austen’s Emma described style as individual and deviation.

Style as individual is making style distinctive is the choice of items and their pattern and distribution. It is obvious that each author uses the words available in the language in any particular period. The other way style can be defined is by comparing one set of features with another, as in comparing deviation from a norm. This is accomplished by comparing any text or piece of language to the linguistic norms of its genre or period, as well as the common core of the language as a whole.

Bliss [1] explains the influences of media on politics, markets, social situations, and, most importantly, the languages of nations. She says more recent influences, since the eighteenth century, have come by way of various media, which include spoken messages, personally written messages, hardcopy publications of one form or another, and more recently, electronic media such as the telephone, telegraph, television, computer, and the new portable communication system and its thousands of apps (applications): mobile cellular phones. The media can also manipulate the thoughts and perceptions of people through its massive control. The mass media have an enormous influence on people’s thoughts and understanding of the world [3].

When one examines language use in various Amharic-based media in Ethiopia, one may notice a lot of foreign words that do not appear to be of Amharic origin, among other things. These phenomena might have flourished because of the influence English has on the Amharic language. Anbessa Teferra [11] states that the subtitles used in Amharic dramas show the immense influence of English on Amharic. In some videocassette or DVD recordings of Amharic theatre drama, released in Ethiopia and the USA since 2000, subtitles (if they occur) are entirely in English. This use of foreign words in Amharic media may have resulted from different stylistic motivations. In other words, these foreign words may be used in Amharic media to achieve brevity, clarity, variation of expression, or some other stylistic motivation. Thus, this paper dealt with the stylistic motivation of the borrowed English words in Amharic media. It tried to answer the following question.

What are the stylistic motivations that triggered the borrowing of English words in the Amharic media?

Review of Literature

What is stylistics?

There is no agreement among scholars on what stylistics is. As a result, there is no explicit definition. However, it is important to see into the various views of scholars. According to Zulfiqar [12], stylistics simply refers to the study of style and pattern of use by a speaker or a writer. It is a method of identifying usage patterns in writing and speech.

Crystal and Davy defined stylistics as a field of study that takes a fresh look at both literary and non-literary materials. It is crucial to how literature is taught in India. It has been defined as a "sub discipline" of linguistics that focuses on the systematic analysis of language style and how it might vary depending on things like genre, context, historical time, and author [2]. In this definition, stylistics is the study of the style that is used in literary and non-literary language and the effect of this language use on the reader or hearer. It explains the language use of individuals or groups by its principles. Furthermore, Simpson [10] defines stylistics as the study of literary language based on different tools of linguistic analysis. The method of literary interpretation known as stylistics gives language center stage. The numerous forms, patterns, and degrees that make up language significance in discourse serve as a gateway to its interpretation, which is why stylistic scholars place such a high value on it. Although linguistic characteristics do not in and of themselves define a text's "meaning", a description of linguistic characteristics nevertheless serves to support a stylistic interpretation and to help the analyst understand why particular meanings are feasible. In stylistics, "literature" as high art or more widely read non-canonical types of writing are the preferred study subjects.

Stylistic Aspects

English has been used in various fields in Ethiopia, but borrowed words from English are not always appropriate for a specific field. It is therefore necessary to study the stylistic aspect of borrowed words in the Amharic media language. Following Gentsch’s [5] work, this study also examines four out of the seven of Galinsky’s stylistic motivations for the usage of English words in the Amharic media language. In addition to this, the study uses Rodriguez Gonzalez’s work to give more details for the stylistic motivations of using English borrowing in the Amharic media.

Before we move on to the description of the stylistic aspects of the English words, let us first briefly go through the list of stylistic effects of borrowings put forward by Galinsky, as it is a ground-breaking work in the research of stylistic aspects of Anglicism in German. Thus, it serves as the main reference in investigating the stylistic effect of English borrowing in Amharic media language use in this study. In this section, seven of Galinsky’s lists of stylistic motivation for the usage of Anglicism in German are explained.

The stylistic functions for using English in German by Galinsky [4]:

1. Local color — this is to make the narration as close as to life as possible. Conveying an English / American atmosphere or setting (reference to locations and idiomatic expression for which German equivalents either do not exist or would not suffice in conveying an authentic American setting. For example, Green (which village, pub, first lady, queen, high school, campus, college, cowboy, skin head, playboy, and new wave).
2. Establishing or enhancing precision (der Job in German refers to a temporary position or part time work to earn extra money, and der Swimming — pool refers to a pool inside or outside a building on a private property only, thus they have specific, limited meanings).
3. Creating or facilitating intentional disguise or euphemism, especially sex and drug-related expressions, e.g., Bordell ⁓ Apartment house; Eros center; prostitute ⁓ Hostess, Callgirl, Drogenahängig ⁓ Fixer.
4. Effecting brevity (the adaptation of single- or two-syllable American words) where multi-morphemic or compound German equivalents already exist, Anglicisms are more economical, handier and more convenient (e.g. Boom ⁓ Wirtschaftsan fscwung, Budget ⁓ Haushaltsplan, Campus ⁓ Universitätsgebäude).
5. Producing vividness, often by way of metaphor — the metaphorical nature of many American English words furnishes yet another appeal in American English — German language contact. Literal transfers are rare, while translations abound. "Brainwashing" (Brainwäsche) and "summit conference" (Gipfelkonferenz) are two examples.
6. Conveying a comic or playful touch: The playful note is sustained by the place of these neologisms in a kind of linguistic no man’s land between (American) English morphemes, free or bound, but their combination is un-English. It is affected by German, but neither language community is making use of these "nonce-words". Hence, part of the commercial tone springs from the linguistic status of such coinages and from the reversal of the customary process of word-coining. It is not the native speaker but the foreigner who imaginatively, ‘enriches’ the native’s tongue by a word actually understandable to the native. In other words, these neologisms are innovations not only in the recipient, but also in the source language. The instances mentioned are ‘dis learnt’, ‘super mobile’ and an automobile whose size adequately reflected that of Texas.
7. Creating or increasing variation of expressions — this is achieved through the ‘collocation’ of the two words, the foreign and the native. This may be achieved by using the conjunction "or" and with the aid of a parenthesis. The purpose of such collocations is to make one’s meaning clearer and definite. For example, (Hi — Hello, Baby — Säugling, Fan — Anhänger, Boss Chef, Team — Mannschaft, Ticket — Fahrschein, although they may have different connotations at times).

Methods

The purpose of this linguistic investigation is to examine the different stylistic motivations of borrowed English words in the Amharic media. Thus, a qualitative descriptive approach is used to investigate the stylistic motivation of the use of English words in the Amharic media language.

Samples

As this article is aimed at finding out the stylistic motivation of English words in Amharic media language use, different programs in Amharic media in Ethiopia are the samples for this investigation. Therefore, the media programs, that have an inclination towards using a large number of English words in their language use, are selected. In this respect, sports, science and technology, and medical science are selected for their susceptibility to using too many English terms in their language use. Hence, a year's worth of publication in one print medium and a year's worth of broadcast programs in four electronic media formats, which were all in print and on air in the 2007 Ethiopian calendar, were selected by using purposive sampling. These Amharic programs, which were selected to study the stylistic motivation of English words in Amharic media, were Medical magazine, Tribune Sport, Tech Talk on EBS, EBC Sport, and EBS Sport. Therefore, 1090 bilingual clauses were selected as extracts to study the stylistic motivation of English words in Amharic media language use.

Data Collection

In this article, to examine the use of English words in Amharic media, data from a print publication and electronic media programs was gathered.

The analysis of stylistic motivation was carried out in the language use of sports, science and technology, and medical science programs of the Amharic media. Thus, a one-year publication of ‘Medical Magazine’, which is published in the Amharic language and primarily focused on medical science and technology issues, was selected. Moreover, a one year broadcast of four electronic media programs — two of which were television programs and the other two, which were radio programs — was selected. Thus, bilingual clause extracts were selected from the data to meet the objectives of this article.

The model employed to analyze Amharic media language use was Galinsky’s [4] model, which is a pioneer in the study of stylistic aspects of usage of English in German. The model consists of seven stylistic functions for using English in Germany. The first function is 'local color' to make narrations more true to life as possible, the second is 'precision' which occurs when there is no equivalent term in the recipient language for the English term. The third is 'Creating or facilitating intentional disguise or euphemism' which serves for expressions, especially those related to sex and drugs. The fourth is 'effecting brevity' or adapting single or two-syllable English words for multimorphemic counterparts in the sender language. The fifth is 'producing vividness', often using metaphors, and the sixth is 'conveying a comic or playful touch'. The seventh is 'creating variation in expressions', which is the supplied collocation of both the foreign and the native terms side by side in the same expression. Analyses of the stylistic motivations in this study revealed only three of them were examined, focusing on brevity, precision, and variation in expressions. The other motivations were not attested in the data.

Results and Discussion

Stylistic motivations for borrowing of English words

This section of this study examines only three of Galinsky’s stylistic motivations (brevity, precision, and variation of expression) for the usage of English words in the Amharic media language use. The stylistic aspect of the instances of the borrowed words from the data is presented in the different categories, namely sports, science and technology, and medical science.

Brevity

The stylistic aspects of borrowing involve a tendency towards brevity and simplification, with borrowed words being used by the speaker and writer when they are urged by the economy of expression and the law of least effort. In this study, several borrowed English words were found to have longer Amharic equivalents, suggesting that these words may have been borrowed for brevity reasons.

Table 1

Brevity (simplification / economy) in sport

For instance, the English term ‘offside’ which is a trisyllabic word, has a multimorphemic compound equivalent word ‘kəćəwata wɨcćɨ:’. Similarly, the borrowed English word ‘squad’ has a multimorphemic Amharic counterpart, ‘jəbudɨn sɨbɨssɨb’. Similarly, we can also see the disyllabic English term ‘budget’ in the above list from the sports section of the data. This English term has a multi-morphemic Amharic equivalent, as in ‘ləsɨra jəmmɨ:mməddəb jəgənzəb məťən’, and ‘wəćɨ:nna gəbɨ:’. Another disyllabic English term borrowed in Amharic sports media is 'record'. ‘kəmin gɨzem jəbəlləťə’ and ‘kɨbrə wəsən’ are its Amharic counterparts that are also multimorphemic like the previous instances mentioned above. The other instance mentioned in the list above is ‘fair play’ that is another disyllabic English term borrowed in the Amharic sports media. This English word has a multisyllabic Amharic equivalent, which says ‘ťɨru ćəwata’. The Amharic compound word ‘bəćɨnḱɨllat məʧɨ:’ is a multi-syllabic Amharic compound, and it has an English equivalent, the disyllabic word 'header'. In the above list, we also have the other borrowed disyllabic English term, ‘training’ taken from the Amharic sports media. Its Amharic equivalent term, ‘masəlťən’ has more syllables. In a similar manner, the disyllabic English term ‘report’ borrowed in the Amharic sports media, has tri-syllabic Amharic equivalents ‘zəgəba’ and ‘məzərzɨr’. Lastly, there is a monosyllabic borrowing of the English word ‘coach’ in the Amharic sports media. Its Amharic counterpart is the trisyllabic word ‘asəlťaññ’.

The above instances show the differences in length between English borrowings and their Amharic equivalents. As we can see above, the English borrowings are shorter than their Amharic equivalents. Most of the Amharic equivalents are longer and multimorphemic compounds, whereas the English borrowings are monosyllabic and disyllabic words. All of the English borrowed instances are disyllabic except for the words ‘coach’ and ‘offside’ which are monosyllabic and trisyllabic, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to deduce from the instances presented above that it is for the purpose of the stylistic motivation known as brevity that the word choices in the Amharic sports media turned out to be English borrowings because of their economic nature.

In the data of this research, we also find English borrowings in the Amharic media language use in the science and technology programs for the purpose of stylistic aspects. Likewise, the above instances and the English borrowed examples below are also presented side by side with their Amharic equivalents.

Table 2

Brevity (simplification / economy) in science and technology

Most of the borrowed English terms in the above instances, taken from the Amharic science and technology media programs, are mono syllabic and di syllabic with the exception of the term ‘galaxy’ which is a tri syllabic word. The Amharic equivalent for ‘galaxy’ is a multi-morphemic Amharic compound word ‘kokəboʧ jəmmɨ:śənubbət’. When we look at the di syllabic terms borrowed from English in the list above, we find ‘wheel chair’ in the first place. Its Amharic counterpart is a multi-morphemic compound ‘təʃkərkarɨ: wənbər’. Similarly, another di syllabic borrowed English term in the Amharic science and technology media programs is ‘pass word’ whose Amharic counterparts are multi-morphemic compounds like the previous instances ‘jəməlləja ḱal’ , ‘jəmaləfɨ:ja ḱal’, and ‘jəjɨləf ḱal’. In the above instances from Amharic science and technology media, we do also find another borrowed disyllabic English term ‘network’. The multi-morphemic Amharic compound term ‘awtarə mərəb’ is its equivalent.

As we can see in the above examples, the shorter English borrowings are preferred for their shortness and economy, making them economical, handier and more convenient for Amharic media science and technology programs.

Amharic media language use in medical science uses English borrowings for brevity and simplification.

Table 3

Brevity (simplification / economy) in medical science

As can be seen in the instances, all the English borrowings with the exception of the terms ‘Pharmacy’, and ‘operation’, which are trisyllabic words, are monosyllabic and disyllabic words. However, when we look at their Amharic counterparts, apart from the term ‘hɨwas’ meaning ‘cell’ which is a disyllabic word, all the other Amharic counterparts are longer and formed from multi morphemic compounds.

The substitution of shorter English terms from Amharic media outlets in medical science fields is seen as a way to distinguish between longer and multi morphemic compounds. This substitution may be employed to resolve the issue of brevity.

Precision

The stylistic aspects of borrowing examples in this study focus on precision and clarity, as there is no unequivocal Amharic equivalent for the English term. Examples from the three fields are presented to shade light on it. The most important details are provided to explain the difference in connotation between English and Amharic borrowing instances.

Table 4

Precision and clarity in science and technology

Borrowing English terms is important when foreign words have no Amharic equivalents. Journalists use this to ensure precision in their expressions, resulting in the appropriateness of their ideas and an understanding of their readers and listeners.

English borrowings are used in science and technology programs in the Amharic media to provide a clearer and more precise way to put ideas in a clearer manner. These terms are technical terms that are introduced with technology, and can be found in the Amharic paraphrases and near synonyms of Amharic language. Therefore, the borrowings above can be considered stylistically motivated for the purpose of precision.

Let us see the instances one by one. The Amharic term ‘baləkard sɨlk’ refers to a phone that works with a sim card in it. However, 'a smart phone’ is a mobile phone, which includes a palmtop computer. Thus, the journalists’ word choice came to be the English borrowing ‘smart phone’ for the purpose of precision that avoids confusion. In a similar manner, the Amharic word which says ‘sərratəññoʧ’ denotes a group of people that work any task, whereas, ‘crew’ refers to a group of people who perform and operate on a ship, boat, air craft, or train. Therefore, because of the stylistic motivation known as precision, the English borrowing ‘crew’ is used to precisely put the idea in the text.

When we look at the next English borrowing, we find the term 'editor'. It refers to a person who is in charge of a magazine or newspaper. The Amharic term ‘azzəgaʤ’ however, refers to a person who prepares or arranges. In this case, ‘editor’ has a specific denotation. As a result, it precisely transfers the meaning of the text. Thus, it is for the stylistic motivation called precision that the borrowed term ‘editor’ is used. Similarly, the Amharic term ‘mawrəd’ refers to bring something down or to unload. The English term ‘download’ however, specifically denotes copying data from a computer system or to a disc. Similarly, the English term ‘upload’ refers to the transfer of data to a computer. The term ‘məćan’ in Amharic, however, refers to putting a load on a pack animal or a person. The Amharic media preferred English terms 'download' and 'upload' to accurately convey their ideas, which is stylistically motivated to achieve precision.

In addition to the above two terms from digital technology, the English word ‘browse’ implies reading or surveying data files using a network. The Amharic term ‘məmməlkət’ however, refers to observe or to be a spectator. Therefore, the borrowed term ‘browse’ turns out to be specific. Similarly, the other borrowed example says ‘data’ refers to facts and statistics used for reference or analysis, whereas, the Amharic term ‘mərrəʤa’ denotes any information. Thus, in this instance as well, the English term ‘browse’ is definite enough to give a clear meaning in the contexts in which it is used. A similar case in the instances above is the Amharic term ‘mədrək’, which implies a stage on which performances are presented. The English term 'platform' implies a context in which people's views are entertained, while the Amharic term denotes a place. The journalists in the Amharic media chose the three English terms (browse, data, and platform) to express their ideas clearly and precisely, using the stylistic motivator precision.

Table 5

Precision and clarity in sport 

In the above instances, the English borrowings and their Amharic equivalents are presented in the instances. The Amharic term 'kɨwwane' refers to production of something that wasn't before, while the English word 'performance' denotes the action or process of performing a task. Thus, English borrowing is chosen for the stylistic purpose of precision. In similar manner, we have the English term ‘quality’ and its Amharic counterpart ‘ťɨrat’. ‘ťɨrat’ refers to purity, or refinement of something whereas, ‘quality’ refers to the standard of something measured in contrast with other things of similar kind. Therefore, as the two terms do not have an equivalent denotation, the journalists’ word choice became the English borrowing 'quality'. This phenomenon seems to happen because of the stylistic motivation element called precision, as one of its functions is to fill the gaps created by the lack of equivalent native words for foreign terms.

The English term 'sponsor' is translated to 'dəgafɨ' in Amharic, meaning supporter, partisan, or adherent. Whereas the English translation refers to an organization that contributes to or pays for the costs of an event or broadcast in return for advertising. A borrowed word in a similar case is ‘professional’ which is translated in Amharic as ‘baləmuja’, The Amharic term refers to skilled, handy, expert craftsman, while 'professional' refers to those who are involved in a paid occupation. Both English borrowings above have specific denotations, making them preferred to be used to their Amharic counterparts. Precision is a stylistic motivation for using English terms over Amharic.

Another English borrowing from the sport programs is ‘pressing’ which is translated in Amharic as ‘məcćan’ refers to an oppressive act or intimidation, whereas pressing in sport is referring to requiring quick or immediate action or attention. Likewise, another borrowed English term; ‘condition’ is translated to Amharic as ‘huneta’. The Amharic term refers to a certain situation or state of something or someone with regard to appearance, fitness, or working order. The choice of words by the journalists turned out to be the English borrowings 'pressing' and 'condition', due to the definiteness and precision of the meanings of the two English terms.

Similarly, another term from sport instances is the English word ‘highlight’, which is translated to Amharic as ‘mɨrť’. The Amharic word refers to something or someone chosen, while the English term 'highlight' is used to refer to an outstanding part of an event or sport, and is used by journalists in the Amharic media to emphasize the meaning intended. This suggests that precision was the stylistic motivation behind the choice of the borrowed English word 'Highlight' over its Amharic counterpart.

Table 6

Precision and clarity in medical science

The medical science-borrowed English instances above are presented together with their Amharic equivalents as well as the difference in their connotations. The first instance is the borrowed English term, which says 'stroke'. It has an Amharic multimorphemic compound equivalent, ‘jədəm mərgat bəʃɨta’. The English term ‘stroke’ refers to a sudden loss of consciousness, whereas, the Amharic counterpart ‘jədəm mərgat bəʃɨta’ refers to the problem of coagulation or blood clotting. Thus, the English borrowing refers to a specific denotation, which is preferred to be used in the Amharic media to its Amharic counterpart. Precision is the stylistic motivation used to make the word choice in the Amharic medical science media.

The Amharic medical science media borrowed the term 'sister' from English that implies a senior female nurse, whereas, the Amharic counterpart ‘ɨhɨt’ refers to a woman or a girl in relation to other daughters and sons of her parents. Thus, the English term is used to denote the intended idea, due to its definiteness and precision, as well as for its stylistic motivation of precision. The Amharic medical science media borrowed the term 'sister' from English that implies a senior female nurse, whereas, the Amharic counterpart ‘ɨhɨt’ refers to a woman or a girl in relation to other daughters and sons of her parents. Thus, the English term is used to denote the intended idea, due to its definiteness and precision, as well as for its stylistic motivation of precision.

The other English borrowing instance from the Amharic medical science media is ‘artificial’. It is translated in Amharic as ‘səw sərraʃ’ refers to something made by human being whereas, the borrowed English term ‘artificial’ refers to something made as a copy of something natural. In this instance, as the two terms do not have equivalent denotation, the stylistic motivation of precision is used to bridge the gap  created by the absence of equivalent native words, resulting in the borrowed English term 'artificial' being used instead of native words.

Another borrowed English term from the medical science instance above is ‘ultrasound’, which is translated in Amharic by the multimorphemic compound ‘jəwɨsť akal məmərmərɨja məsarɨja’. The English term ‘ultrasound’ refers to sound or other vibration having an ultrasonic frequency, particularly as used in medical imaging. The Amharic counterpart, ‘jəwɨsť akal məmərmərɨja məsarɨja’ denotes any medical instrument that is used to diagnose the internal parts of the human body. Thus, Amharic journalists use the English word in medical science media due to the stylistic motivation of precision for a specific denotation.

In a similar manner, we have another borrowed English term in the medical sciences: instances ‘diabetes’. Its Amharic equivalent is the multi-morphemic compound ‘jəsɨkkwar bəʃɨta’. The English term ‘diabetes’ refers to a disorder of metabolism causing excessive thirst and the production of large amounts of urine. However, the Amharic equivalent, ‘jəsɨkkwar bəʃɨta’ refers to a disease that is created by sugar. Therefore, the choice of word for journalists was the English word 'diabetes' due to its definiteness in connotation, which may be prompted by the stylistic motivation of precision.

Similarly, another borrowed English term from the medical sciences is 'dialysis'. Its counterpart is known as ‘jəkulalɨ:t ɨťbət’. The English term 'dialysis' refers to the chemical purification of blood by dialysis as a substitute for the normal function of the kidney while the Amharic term refers simply to the washing of the kidney. Thus, the English term is used in medical science media. It is initiated by the stylistic motivation of precision.

Variation of expression

The third stylistic motivation in borrowing English words is a technique used to reach variation in expressions by using an English word for something previously stated by the Amharic equivalent, known as a co-referential device intended to provide the text with elegance and cohesiveness. In each of the instances, the same phenomenon was repeatedly referred to by both the English as well as the Amharic term.

This research focuses on the Amharic science and technology programs, where English words are combined with their Amharic equivalents in one sentence. This is often referred to as the concept is mentioned for the first time or when the writer recognizes it as not well known. The two equivalent terms are separated in the texts with the help of a parenthesis, or with the Amharic conjunction that says ‘wəjɨm’ which refers to ‘or’.

Variation of expression in science and technology:

1. sɨlə ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE wəjɨm sɨlə səw səraʃ kɨhɨlot ɨnnɨwəjajjalən

about artificial     intelligence     or about man made skill  we will discuss

‘We will discuss about artificial intelligence.’

2. ɨ:lamaʧəwɨn ťəbbɨḱəw jəťəlatɨn TARGET məmtat jəmɨ:ʧɨlu GUIDED WEAPON SYSTEMS allu

their target by maintaining enemy’s  target to hit which are able guided weapon systems there are

‘There are guided weapon systems which are able to hit enemy’s target.’

3. wədəfɨ:t ROBOT oʧ SELF AWARE wəjɨm jənəḱu MACHINEoʧ lɨ:honu jɨʧɨlallu

in the future robots self-aware or conscious machines to be they could be

‘In the future robots could become conscious machines.’

4. WATSON jəsəwɨn sɨbɨnna (PERSONALITY) ɨndɨ:jaťəna ɨjjətədərəgə nəw

Watson of human personality so as to study it is being made

‘Watson is being made to study human personality.’

5. majət jətəsanaʧəw wəgənoʧaʧɨnɨn ləmərdat SMART KANE wəjɨm bɨlɨh bətɨr təfəťɨrwall

to see who are impaired our society to help smart kane it is created

‘To help our visually impaired society, smart kane is created.’

6. lelaw dərəʤa məwťat ɨnna məwrəd jəmɨ:ʧɨl WHEEL CHAIR wəjɨm təʃkərkarɨ: wənbər nəw

the other stairs to climb up and go gown that can wheel hair it is

‘The other is a wheel chair that can climb up and go down stairs.’

7. sɨlə DRONE oʧ wəjɨm səw alba PLANE oʧ lasќañaʧʧɨhu

about drones  or man less planes let me show you

‘Let me show you about drones.’

8. jɨh hullu PERFECTION (fɨśumɨnnət) jəməla mɨt ajməslɨm

this all perfection                    of theory it doesn’t seem

‘These all perfection doesn’t seem theoretical.’

9. Kallut 110 bəlaj maɨdɨnoʧ wəjɨm ELEMENTS wɨsť jəmajɨgəññut ťɨḱɨ:toʧ bɨʧʧa naʧʧəw

Among available 110 more than elements inside those, which are not present a few only they are

‘From those more than 110 available elements only a few of them are not present.’

The above instances appear in the science and technology data of this study. The first of the extracts is the English phrase ‘artificial intelligence, followed by its Amharic equivalent term ‘səw sərraʃ kɨhɨlot’ in the same sentence. Variation of expression is used to make meaning clearer and more emphatic by combining both the English and Amharic equivalents.

The second extract above we can see that the Amharic word ‘ɨ:lamaʧʧəwɨn’ in the same sentence together with its English equivalent ‘target’. The use of synonyms in the same sentence may be to make the meaning clearer or to avoid monotonous redundancy, known as variation of expressions or stylistic synonymy.

In the extracts, there are also instances, which show the separation of the two terms with aid of parenthesis. The extracts in (4 and 8) are good examples of such cases. In extract 4, for example, the Amharic word ‘sɨbɨnna’ is used in the same sentence as its English counterpart 'personality'. In a similar manner, in extract 8, we can see the English term ‘perfection’ and the Amharic equivalent ‘fɨsśumɨnnət’ in the same sentence, and they are separated with parenthesis. The use of English and Amharic synonyms in these instances can be used to make the meanings clearer and more emphatic. This may be for the stylistic purpose of variation of expressions.

In the remaining extracts from the science and technology programs, the Amharic and English equivalents are used next to each other, and they are separated with the aid of the Amharic conjunction word ‘wəjɨm’ which means 'or'. In these instances as well, variation of expressions is used in certain contexts to make meaning more clear by using the Amharic and English synonyms.

Variation of expression in medical science:

10. sɨmetaʧəw jətərəgaga wəjɨm EMOTIONALLY STABLE səwoʧ bəleloʧ səwoʧ sɨmet jɨwərərallu

their feeling stable or emotionally stable people by other people emotion they are overwhelmed

‘Emotionally stable peoples are overwhelmed by other people emotion.’

11. kəzɨ:h gar jəaɨmɨro ʧɨgɨroʧ wəjɨm PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS jɨjajazall

with this together of mental problems or psychiatric disorders it is connected

‘Together with this mental problems or psychiatric disorders are related.’

12. kəfɨtəñña jəmədəbət bəʃɨta wəjɨm MAJOR DEPRESSION ɨrasɨn kəmaťfat gar jɨjajazall

higher of depression disease or major depression with sucide it is related

‘Major depression is related with sucide.’

13. jɨh bətəfəťro wəjɨm bəwɨrs (HEREDITY) lɨ:kkəssət jɨʧɨlall

this by nature or by inheritance (heredity) to happen it could be

‘This could happen naturally or by heredity.’

14. ləmɨn ɨndɨ:h adərəghu bɨlo ɨrasɨn məwḱəs (SELF BLAMING) jɨnorall

why like this I did by saying self to blame there will be

‘There will be self-blaming by saying why did I do like that’

15. jəbətaʧɨnnət sɨmet (INFERIORITY COMPLEX) kəleloʧ ansalləhu bɨlo massəb nəw

Inferiority complex from others I am less than by saying to believe it is

‘Inferiority complex is to believe that one is not as adequate as others.’

16. jəḱɨrɨnfud mɨ:smar mɨtməsləw nəgər TOXIC wəjɨm mərzamma nəʧ

of clove  nail that resembles thing toxic it is

‘The clove’s that resembles nail is toxic.’

17. wədə 12 PERCENT jəmɨ:honut OBESE naʧʧəw wəjɨm ɨʤʤɨg jəbəzza wɨfrət allaʧəw

around 12 percent that are obese they are or exceptionally extra fatness they have

‘Around 12 percent of them are obese or exceptionally very fat.’

The extracts from ''13 to 15'' present instances from medical science that show stylistic motivation for variation of expressions as Amharic and English words being used together in the same sentence with parenthesis to distinguish them. As in the extract ‘13’, the Amharic word ‘bəwɨrs’ and the English term ‘heredity’ are used in the same sentence to give clearer meaning to the idea under discussion. In a similar manner, in extract ‘20’ we ca also notice the Amharic phrase ‘ɨrasɨn məwḱəs’ preceding its English equivalent ‘self-blaming’ by using parenthesis to separate them. When we look at extract ‘15’, the English phrase ‘inferiority complex’ is separated with parenthesis from its Amharic counterpart ‘jəbətaʧɨnnət sɨmmet’. Variation of expressions is a technique used to make the meaning of terms more clearly. This is done by using both Amharic and English terms next to each other.

Variation of expression in sport:

18. jəʤɨ:butɨ: aʧʧawɨn bəaťəḱalaj wəjɨm bəAGGREGATE arat ləbado aʃʃənnɨfwall

the Djibouti counterpart in total or on aggregate  four to nil  it has bitten

‘On aggregate it has bitten Djibouti four goals to nil.’

19. bəḱəťɨta jəmɨnnalfəw jəɨ:tjoˋpɨ:ja UNDER TWENTY wəjɨm kəhaja amət bətaʧ wɨdɨddɨr nəw

directly that we pass of Ethiopia under twenty competition it is

‘We directly pass on to the Ethiopian under twenty competition.’

20. jəbɨskɨlet wɨdɨddɨr bəmɨn ajnət məlku UPGRADE wəjɨm madəg alləbbət

of bicycle competition by what way upgrade or to develop it should be

‘In what way should the bicycle competition be upgraded?’

21. jɨhe tɨllɨḱ TORNAMENT wəjɨm wɨdɨddɨr nəw

this huge tornament or competition it is

‘This is a huge tornament.’

22. STADIUMu kəPITCHu wəjɨm kəmedaw gar bətəjajazə jan jahɨl aməʧɨ: ajdəlləm

The stadium from the pitch or the field together in relation that much comfortable it is         not

‘In relation to the pitch, the stadium is not that much comfortable.’

These instances from sports section of the research focuses on the use of Amharic words and English synonyms used in the same sentence with the Amharic conjunction ‘wəjɨm’ that means ‘or’ in between them as in extracts ''18 to 22''. These are (bəaťəḱalaj wəjɨm bəaggregate, under twenty wəjɨm kəhaja amət bətaʧ, upgrade wəjɨm madəg, tornament wəjɨm wɨdɨddɨr, kəpitchu wəjɨm kəmedaw). As we can see, all of the Amharic and English pairs of words and phrases are separated with the Amharic conjunction ‘wəjɨm’ which is translated in English as ‘or’.

Thus, sports data from this research showed that the same phenomenon was repeatedly denoted by both English and Amharic terms, suggesting that these instances are a sign of variation of expressions.

Discussion

One of the purposes of this study was to examine the different stylistic motivations that triggered the borrowing of English words in the Amharic media. Therefore, this section of the study is devoted to the discussion of major findings as related to the literature on stylistic aspects of linguistic borrowing, namely, brevity, precision, and variation of expressions. These are discussed based on the data from sport, science, and technology, as well as media programs of the Amharic media.

This section contains discussions on how the research data support the stylistic motivations known as brevity, precision, and variation of expression. Thus, from the data of this research a considerable amount of borrowed English words are realized in the language use of science and technology, medical science and sport outlets of the Amharic media. These appearances of borrowings in the Amharic media have different purposes. Some of the functions of English borrowings in the data of the Amharic media are for the sake of brevity. As we have already witnessed, most of the English borrowings are shorter than their Amharic equivalents, which are multi-morphemic compounds. As a result, the journalists in the Amharic media preferred to use the English borrowings. This choice of theirs might have occurred to achieve the stylistic motivation known as brevity. For example, the English term ‘cell’, which is a disyllabic word, has a trisyllabic Amharic counterpart ‘hɨwas’. In the examination of the data of this study, a large number of English borrowings whose Amharic counterparts are longer are found.

It has been clearly shown in the analysis of this study that the Amharic media journalists use English borrowings since most of their Amharic equivalents are longer and multimorphemic compounds. This use of Anglicism in the Amharic media could be a result of the fact that most of the professional fields, such as sport, science and technology, and medicine, have undergone different developments in those English-speaking countries. Therefore, in the data we have seen numerous examples of English borrowings in the Amharic media for they are shorter and economic than their Amharic counterparts. Thus, one may deduce this as the stylistic motivation known as brevity. This result corresponds with the findings obtained in Rodriguez Gonzalez [8], which suggest that there is a tendency towards ‘simplification’, which means brevity. The speaker and the writer are motivated to use the borrowed terms because of their economy of expression.

The other finding in this study, which suggests that the language use in the Amharic media employs English loan words to precisely express some words, which do not have exact Amharic equivalents, is precision. Different instances from the data of the Amharic media language use in sport, science and technology and medical science programs have shown that when there is no unequivocal Amharic equivalents, the Amharic loanwords are employed for the purpose of clarity. This finding is in agreement with Rodriguez Gonzalez [8], which claims the employment of new and shorter English terms when there is a lack of unambiguous Spanish equivalent. The finding is also similar to Pfitzner [7], in Rudakova [9], who refers to achieving linguistic precision as a borrowing, which occurs when words do not have exact German equivalents and they "help re-pattern a German semantic field". For example, the English word ‘download’ refers to copying data from a computer system or a disc. Whereas, the Amharic equivalent term ‘mawrəd’ refers to put some load, to bring something down, or to unload. Thus, in this case the use of Anglicism serves the purpose of precision. There are a number of instances presented from the data to show similar phenomena. Rudakova emphasizes the appearance of technical languages from English in various fields. Large number of English technical languages exist in the areas of technology, engineering, electronics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine and computer technology [9].

Another finding in the stylistic aspects of this study is the achievement of variation in expression. The extracts, which are taken from the data of this research in sports, science and technology, and medical science fields in the Amharic media, show that the same phenomenon was referred to by both the English and Amharic terms. The journalists in the Amharic media in this case might have borrowed English words in order to avoid tedious repetition of words. In addition to this, using two words with similar meaning from two languages gives a better meaning than using a word alone (Rudakova, [9]. For instance, using the English phrase ‘artificial intelligence’ together with its Amharic equivalent ‘səw sərraʃ kɨhɨlot’ in the same sentence makes the meaning clearer. This finding is similar to that of Gentsch [5], who states that English words have been borrowed in the German media to avoid monotonous repetition. The same phenomenon was repeatedly stated in both English and German. This is referred to as the stylistic motivation variation of expression.

Conclusion

This study examined the use of English borrowings in the Amharic media and found that there were a great number of English words in sports, science, technology, and medical science terms, as most of which originated in the English-speaking world.

English terms are borrowed to the Amharic media language for various stylistic purposes, often due to stylistic reasons. Therefore, journalists increased use English terms even when there are Amharic equivalents is examined.

In the analysis of the data, it was found that one of the stylistic purposes of using English borrowings in the Amharic media is brevity. In this regard, those English terms, which are shorter and simpler than their Amharic counterparts with multimorphemic compounds, are preferred for simplification and economic purposes. For instance, the English sports term ‘coach’ is shorter and more economical than its counterpart, ‘asəlťañ.

The other type of stylistic motivation for the appearance of borrowed English terms in the Amharic media is precision. Amharic journalists prefer English terms when there is no Amharic equivalent for the English term. For instance, the Amharic term ‘mawrəd’ refers to bring something down or to unload. However, the English term 'download' is preferred for its definiteness and precision in data analysis, leading to English borrowings in Amharic media.

Variation of expressions is another finding of the analysis, indicating stylistic motivation for the appearance of English terms in the Amharic media language. This mechanism provides the text with stylishness and cohesiveness. In this case, the same phenomenon was repeatedly expressed in both English and Amharic. Therefore, rather than using tedious repetition of words, the Amharic journalists preferred to use the English equivalents.

1. Bliss A. Globalization and language change in Chile (a look at the –ish languages and more) // Alicanto. 2011. Ed. 4, pp. 17-26.
2. Crystal D., Davy D. Investigating English style. 2016. London: Routledge. 278 p.
3. Ekström M. Research on media and democracy. Reflections on changes and challenges // Nordicom Review. № 29 (2), pp. 45-52.
4. Galinsky H. Stylistic aspects of linguistic borrowing: a stylistic and comparative view of American elements in modern German, and British English // Jahrbuch für Amerikastudien. 1963. Vol. 8, pp. 98-135.
5. Gentsch K. English borrowings in German newspaper language: motivations, frequencies and types, on the basis of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Muenchner Merkur, and Bild [Elektronnyi resurs]. Available at: https://scholarship.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/bitstream/handle/10066/10344/Gentsch_thesis_2005.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1 (Accessed: 30.03.2023)
6. Miššíková G. Linguistic stylistics. 2003. Nitra: Univerzita Konštantína Filozofa, Filozofická fakulta. 126 p.
7. Pfitzner J. Der Anglizismus im Deutschen. Ein Beitrag zur Bestimmung seiner stilistischen Funktion in der heutigen Presse. 1978, Stuttgart: Metzler. 250 s.
8. Rodríguez González F. Functions of anglicisms in contemporary Spanish // Cahiers de lexicologie. 1996. Vol. 1. № 68, pp. 107-128.
9. Rudakova T.O. Anglo-American borrowing in the modern German language: reasons and factors determining its intensity // Visnik Lugans'kogo natsional'nogo universitetu imeni Tarasa Shevchenka. Filologichni nauki. 2012. № 14 (249), pp. 96-112.
10. Simpson P. Stylistics: a resource book for students. 2004. London: Psychology Press. 247 p.
11. Teferra A. Amharic: political and social effects on English loan words // Globally speaking: motives for adopting English vocabulary in other languages / Edited by: J. Rosenhouse, R. Kowner. 2008. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. 300 p.
12. Zulfigar A. Stylistics and discourse analysis: a contribution in analyzing literature // Academy of the Punjab in North America. 2016.