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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Random Fact of the Day: Linguistic Conversion(s)

Changing a name as it moves from one language to another is often necessary. due to sounds and/or letters that may not exist in the new language. It's not done as often as it used to be, but adaptation of a word/name to English phonetics and alphabet is called Anglicization. Ancient Romans also changed names to suit Latin--Latinization; and many Biblical names we know as 'Hebrew' are actually Greek alterations--Hellenizations.
For other languages, the terms are probably less well-known, but they do exist!

Albanian: Albanization
Chinese: Sinicization
Czech: Czechization
Danish: Danicization
Dutch: Dutchification
Finnish: Fennicization
French: Francization or Gallicization
German: Germanization
Hawaiian: Hawaiianization
Hebrew: Hebraization
Hungarian: Magyarization
Irish or Scottish: Gaelicization
Italian: Italianization
Japanese: Nipponization or Japanization
Norwegian: Norwegianization
Polish: Polonization
Russian: Russification
Spanish: Hispanicization, or Castilianization, when referring to Castilian Spanish

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