French Loanwords in English cr-phonaesthemic group

Introduction. The article examines the influence of French borrowings on the process of development of phonaesthemic sound symbolism in the English language. Phonaesthemes work as a language instrument of semantic structuring of meanings of groups of words with similar form. The article aims to identify how French borrowings influenced the set of semes characteristic of the English phonaesthemic group cr- . Methodology and sources. The preselected 62 English words with the initial cr- consonant cluster borrowed from French, were analyzed for their possible influence on the respective English phonaesthemic group. 25 words were confirmed to be phonaesthemic. The words were selected from the Oxford English Dictionar y by targeted sampling. Etymology, if necessary, was further verified after French etymological dictionaries Le Littré and Trésor. Theoretical framework for this research are the works of Mikhalev (phonosemantic field theory), Leonardi (on Latin phonaesthemes) and Bottineau (on French iconic words). Methods applied in the research are etymological and phonosemantic analyses. French loanwords included and not included in the English phonaesthemic group were analysed separately. Results and discussion. The data analyses have shown that in case the shared semes of the CR- word group in the donor language coincide with those of the recipient language, loanwords seem to augment and strengthen the tendency to form phonaesthemic groups. Otherwise, new words remain outside the English phonosemantic field of the group in question. Phonotactic restrictions may also leave such loanwords outside the studied phonaesthemic group. French loanwords of Germanic origin seem to demonstrate stronger sustainability in language as compared to those of Latin origin. Words of French origin appear to be onomatopoeic only. Conclusion. The results of the study demonstrate that French loanwords had a limited effect on the English cr- phonaesthemic group. French loanwords have expanded the group and strengthened the tendencies formed within the native English word group.