ABSTRACT
The most important factor in Mandarin loanword adaptation is the function of the phonology and phonetics between the borrowing language and the source language. This chapter aims to introduce loanword phonology and discusses the three major approaches in loanword phonology. It focuses on the phonological and phonetic factors affecting Mandarin loanword adaptation. The chapter argues that the variants show well the functions of many factors affecting Mandarin loanword adaptation and that a single factor cannot cover the complicated process of Mandarin loanword adaptation. It also aims to observe many other factors which can more effectively explain the complicated process of Mandarin loanword adaptation. The chapter proposes a comprehensive model of Mandarin loanword adaptation. It seeks to support by applying the model specifically to the adaptation of Mandarin loanwords originating from English. The chapter also seeks to reveal that faithful phonological or phonetical mapping can be affected by semantic factors.
