Diachronization process of lexical incorporation in Spanish: Theoretical aspects and lexicographical presence

Abstract

When speakers make use of a language, they don’t think about how the words are used or where they come from. However, they are conscious that some terms are recently imported because the formal characteristics that they show are identical or more similar to what can be found in other languages (notebook,
baguette, playboy, sushi, match, celebrity, wifi, párking, esmoquin, spam, selfie…). Over the course of time, these words can be integrated into the language (in this case into the Spanish language), with or without a greater or lesser degree of acceptance. If this happens, speakers will progressively stop being conscious of the foreign origin of these words in the same way that occurred with acuarela, restaurante, piano or voleibol, among others, that in the past had also been unknown for those who began to use them. The aim of the present paper will consist on analysing the theoretical concepts related to lexical transmission. Besides, it will also show that it takes place an integration process equivalent to the progressive loss of conscience by the speakers of the foreign origin of the words received from other languages. From a practical point of view, the mentioned process will be demonstrated from the analysis of the presence of this kind of terms in normative dictionaries or in the ones that show the use of words.