ABSTRACT
The active language contact between East Asia and the West through English got underway in the late nineteenth century. Within a very short time, East Asian languages began to incorporate new concepts and words – either through translation or transliteration – into their lexicon. These words were to have a great impact on East Asia in the years to come. Though East Asia was slow in opening up, once opened, new words together with new cultures rushed in and English (words) became an important medium in building modern East Asia.
