Linguist, lexicographer, writer, editor, broadcaster

Sweden, too, furrows its brow over foreignisms in its language

Swedish fights rearguard action against English behemoth. “In 2006, the Academy’s dictionary (ordlista) was updated for the thirteenth time with the inclusion of guzz, (meaning ‘girl’ in Turkish) and keff, (meaning ‘bad’ in Arabic). But what, perhaps, is more interesting is that aftershave, new age, pep talk, sexist, touch and queer made it through, among many other Anglicisms.”

author avatar
Grant Barrett