Borrowing and Adaptation of English IT Terms in Sinhala: A Critical Literature Review

Abstract

This literature review examines the morphological processes used in adapting English Information Technology (IT) terminology into non-European vernacular languages, particularly Sinhala. The review synthesizes scholarly discussions on language adaptation, borrowing, and lexical innovation, with particular emphasis on the role of morphological processes such as borrowing, calques, affixation, hybrid compounds, transliteration, and phonological adaptation. Drawing on both global and Sri Lankan scholarship, the study explores how languages negotiate the growing dominance of English in the field of Information Technology while preserving linguistic and cultural identity. The review highlights that different languages adopt varying strategies depending on socio-cultural, political, and linguistic contexts. European languages such as French and Spanish frequently employ native equivalents and phonetic assimilation to maintain linguistic purity, whereas Asian languages often combine transliteration, semantic translation, and direct borrowing. In the Sinhala context, studies reveal that English loanwords are adapted through suffixation, hybridization, Sanskritization, and phonological assimilation to align with Sinhala phonotactic and grammatical structures. The review further identifies socio-linguistic influences such as language policy, educational background, cultural norms, and communicative efficiency as key determinants in shaping adaptation strategies. Additionally, the literature points to several challenges in adapting IT terminology, including the absence of equivalent native lexical items, inconsistencies in terminology usage, and difficulties in maintaining accuracy and clarity. Despite the growing body of research on technical terminology adaptation, limited attention has been given to the specific morphological processes involved in adapting English IT terms into Sinhala. Therefore, this review establishes the theoretical and contextual foundation for examining the linguistic mechanisms underlying Sinhala IT terminology adaptation.