ANGLICISMS IN THE MACEDONIAN POLITICAL DISCOURSE: A SERIOUS THREAT OR A WELCOME ADDITION

Neshkovska, Silvana (2024) ANGLICISMS IN THE MACEDONIAN POLITICAL DISCOURSE: A SERIOUS THREAT OR A WELCOME ADDITION. Studies in Linguistics, Culture, and FLT, 12 (1). pp. 169-189. ISSN ISSN 2534-9538

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Abstract

The widespread presence of Anglicisms in the Macedonian language is
undisputable. Anglicisms are particularly conspicuous in political discourse as
politicians seem to have pronounced tendency to insert English borrowings in their
public statements, speeches, discussion and debates quite frequently. While politicians
thus clearly attempt to reinforce the persuasiveness of the political messages they
impart to the masses, the question that arises is whether the general public endorses or
condemns such a linguistic strategy.
The aim of this paper is to shed some light on Macedonian native speakers’ perceptions
and understanding of a list of Anglicisms that have become an integral part of Macedonian
political discourse. For the purposes of this research, a tailor-made questionnaire was
conducted among Macedonian speakers of different ages and educational levels. The
aim was twofold – to inspect the influence of age and education on the informants’
understanding of Anglicisms, and to ascertain whether they perceive Anglicisms as
a serious threat to the purity of their mother tongue or as a welcome addition that
enriches it and increases its expressive potential.
The insights gained from this research point in the direction of a tacit agreement between
political authorities and general public about the usefulness of Anglicisms in Macedonian
political discourse, but they also indicate that the (lack of) understanding and (non)
acceptance of Anglicisms used in political discourse, to a great extent, are conditioned
by the profile of Macedonian native speakers, i.e. their age and education, in particular.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	Scientific Fields (Frascati) > Humanities > Languages and literature
Divisions:	Faculty of Education
Depositing User:	Prof. d-r Silvana Neshkovska
Date Deposited:	14 Jun 2024 07:38
Last Modified:	14 Jun 2024 07:38
URI:	https://eprints.uklo.edu.mk/id/eprint/9959

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