Frequent English phrases and words used by the speakers of Croatian

Kaucki, Josipa. (2014). Frequent English phrases and words used by the speakers of Croatian. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of English Language and Literature. [mentor Kalogjera, Damir].

Preview

PDF (English) Download (207kB) | Preview

Abstract

The influence of the English language on the Croatian language has been a matter of concern for some time and many linguists have based their research on this topic. Young Croatian people use many English words and phrases in their everyday speech. The hypothesis of this paper is that women in Croatia use more English words and phrases in their everyday speech than men. It is based on a sociolinguistic theory of gender differences in language according to which women tend to use more prestigious forms of language then men. Since English has the status of the most prestigious foreign language in Croatia it was assumed that women will show a greater frequency of usage of English words and phrases. The research was carried out on a random sample of fifty students in Zagreb. Twenty-five were male and twenty-five were female. The criteria for participation were gender, age and the level of education. In order to narrow down the age of participants the focus has been put on young adults, aging from nineteen (the youngest participants) to twenty-seven (the oldest participants). Also, in an attempt to rule out the influence of education on the results, only highly educated young people were questioned. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire over a period of two days. The questionnaire was designed to elicit data illustrative of the frequency of usage of English words and phrases by Croatian speakers. The participants were expected to read a list consisting of fifty-eight English words and phrases and for each word/phrase mark whether they use it ‘often’, ‘sometimes’, ‘rarely’ or ‘never’. The fifty-eight English words and phrases used in the questionnaire have been left their original English spelling. In order to find words and phrases which are used frequently in Croatian the author consulted literature on the influence of English on Croatian, but also paid attention to conversations between young people on public transportation and between the author and her friends (in their twenties). The results showed that the female students appear to be using English words and phrases more often than the male students. Although the findings indicated that women use English more than men the difference in results between men and women was not as clear and high as initially expected. It order to get more accurate and conclusive results this research should be conducted. on a bigger sample with a wider age range of the participants.

Actions (login required)

View Item