Anglicyzm

Anglicyzm is a term used in Polish linguistics to describe a word or expression borrowed from English and used in Polish. The word is formed from the English term Anglicism with the Polish suffix -yzm, and the singular form is anglicyzm with the plural anglicyzmy. Anglicyzmy can be lexical units, such as nouns, verbs, or adjectives, that are integrated into Polish, or multiword phrases adopted from English.

Origins and development have occurred in several waves. Historical borrowings often came indirectly through German or French, but direct English influence intensified with globalization, mass media, and scientific and technological exchange in the 20th century. The rise of the Internet and international trade after the 1990s accelerated the adoption of English vocabulary in everyday life, business, culture, and youth language. Some anglicyzmy are highly specialized, while others enter common speech and become fully naturalized.

Classification and features vary. Anglicyzmy may be simple lexical items (for example komputer, Internet, e-mail, marketing, startup, selfie, blog, panel, software, weekend, fitness) or may appear as semantic calques or pseudo-anglicisms formed with Polish morphology. The latter often provoke debate about whether they preserve the original English sense or reflect Polish adaptation. In Polish, many anglicyzmy are gradually assimilated, receiving Polish spelling, pronunciation, and inflection, while others retain explicit English characteristics.

Sociolinguistic attitudes toward anglicyzmy range from pragmatic acceptance as useful, modern terminology to caution about language purity, with calls for Polish equivalents when possible.