Overview of Some Borrowed Terms from Romance Languages in Legal Terminology in Albanian

Abstract

Looking at the lexicon of today's Albanian in the terminologies of different fields of knowledge, we find a lexical wealth consisting of two main layers: the local lexicon and the foreign lexicon, introduced through borrowings and calques from various languages, among which modern developed languages occupy an important place, especially Italian and French. One of the Albanian terminologies where this influence stands out is legal terminology, which had a late development, explaining why it was influenced by developed languages, extending to words of general use in the field of culture and various spheres of law. It is known that foreign words spoil the language when accepted and used unnecessarily. Foreign words should be used in cases where they bring a new meaning, a new nuance of meaning, etc., which cannot be expressed with the tools of the Albanian language itself. Only for more concrete borrowings, such as names of newly imported tools, equipment, and facilities, can we speak of an addition to an existing vocabulary. Many borrowed words, which seemed unavoidable, have been adopted as calques, and a large number of Romance borrowings today have either been replaced or substituted by Albanian words. Realistically, in legal terminology there is not only a relatively large number of borrowings, but also a range of lexical overlaps with Romance languages.