hyperforeignism

English

Etymology

1982, hyperforeign +‎ -ism.

Noun

hyperforeignism (countable and uncountable, plural hyperforeignisms) (linguistics)

  1. (countable, uncountable) The use of a sound or form that is perceived as foreign in a context where a native sound or form would be more correct based on the original language of a given loanword.
    When he wrote that he was going to “Hämbürg”, this was considered hyperforeignism because the German form is “Hamburg”.
    • 1982, John C. Wells, Accents of English 1: An Introduction, page 108:
      For example, there is an awareness based on French that /dʒ/ is an English-type consonant, for which /ʒ/ is the ‘foreign’ equivalent. But when this leads to raj, Taj Mahal, mah-jongg, or adagio with /ʒ/ instead of /dʒ/ (although the languages of origin have affricates in these words), we have what might well be called a hyperforeignism. [boldfaced in source]
  2. (countable, uncountable, by extension) The misapplication of foreign pronunciation or usage more broadly; approximation that is misapprehensive or pedantic; use of a foreign form that is not in common use.
    When she talked about the beautiful “freschi”, this was considered hyperforeignism because in English one says “frescoes”.

Synonyms

  1. exoticism

See also

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