ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the background of Chinese loanwords. It discusses the history and the terminology of Chinese loanwords. The percentage of loanwords in the English vocabulary is much higher than the native English words. In the history of the Chinese language, large-scale borrowing occurred both between the 2nd century B.C. and the 13th century due to the translation of Buddhist scriptures and in the 16th century when the Western missionaries came to China. The chapter explores the influence of loanwords on Chinese language and the previous studies. The three points converge to illustrate the important message that loanwords play a pivotal role in enriching the Chinese lexicon. First, loanwords enrich the Chinese vocabulary mainly through the production of new words and morphemes. Second, Chinese loanwords affect the variety of Chinese syllables and phrases. Third, loanwords provide a chance for Chinese characters to be used as phonetic symbols.
