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Abstract: The present paper focuses on the use of English words in the field of medicine, adapted or not to the Romanian morphological system. It is widely known and acknowledged that English has got the necessary tools and it is very close to becoming a language studied and spoken by most people worldwide. It is precisely the starting point of our discussion: English - a "spring" of words and phrases for languages in need. Therefore, does the Romanian medical vocabulary need to borrow words from English in order for people to make themselves better and more easily understood or is it only a matter of personal choice?
Keywords: medicine, vocabulary, need, English, Romanian.
English is nowadays very close to becoming a lingua franca, the follower of Latin somehow, and nevertheless the choice of many people in terms of communication. It is mainly due to its simplicity and ability to briefly express what in other languages could be said in much longer and more complicated phrases or even sentences.
In time, people have come in contact with one another and eventually mutually borrowed words from other languages into their own. English was both a recipient and a donor language, i.e. it borrowed words from other languages and it was also the linguistic "spring" of many other languages whom it greatly influenced. In turn, English has acquired words from Italian (mainly names of food: pizza, pasta, prosciutto, mozzarella or music), Latin (scientific and technological words), Greek (scientific and medical terminology), French (legal, military and political terminology), Spanish (words related to warfare, science and culture), German, Arabic (words related to trades) etc.
The topic of the present paper is concerned with the English influence and impact on Romanian in the medical field. It is not one of the domains that exhibit a massive invasion of English words (such as fashion, sports, IT etc.), but it ranges among the most important fields that need to be approached.
It is of a crucial importance for physicians to be aware of the changing needs of their patients and to keep up with the new discoveries and progress made in medicine, as it is very important for them to use the most appropriate vocabulary depending on each situation: when talking to...