Repartee
Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2015 11:03 pm
Quick witty comments and replies. From mid 17th century France. My question is, when do we English speakers accept foreign words as our own? General accepted usage? How is this ascertained?
My question is, when do we English speakers accept foreign words as our own? General accepted usage? How is this ascertained?
It's up to the dictionary publishers, really. There is no "official" step taken. It's just that after a certain timelength and frequency of use, pretty much everyone knows what the word means, without thinking of the language it came from. Some words get accepted like this for a short time, others sink in and stick around.
Here is Dr. Goodword's treatment, by the by.