Investigating the process of borrowing resulting from languages contact: a case study of English and Fongbé

Drawing on both Weinreich et al. (1968)’s theory of language change and Labov (2001)’s theory of linguistic change, this paper examines the process of borrowing that results from languages contact. The emphasis has been put on English and Fongbé because English is taught as a foreign language in Benin, a French speaking country located near Nigeria an anglophone country whereas Fongbé is one of the most dominant native languages among the 56 languages of Benin. The quantitative method, has helped collect different English lexical items integrated to Fongbé vocabulary. Then, these data have been described, analysed and interpreted on the basis of the qualitative research method principle. The results reveal that loanwords represent 75%, loan shifts 22.5% and loan translations 2.5%. A closer scrutiny has consisted in describing the morphological structures of loanwords made up of either English lexeme and native derivational suffix or Nigerian pidgin phonological transfer. As for loan shifts, they are made up of either native morphemic composition with English derivational meaning or English phonological transfer to which native derivational suffix and native numeral system have been added to form compound words. The ones of loan translations follow a direct translation of lexical items of English in Fongbé. It has been contended that the illustrated English borrowed lexical items identified in Fongbé, confirm the theories of Weinreich et al. and Labov.