English teacher: how to use foreign words and phrases

Thursdays roll around awfully fast, don't they? Time for another lesson with the English teacher!

Earlier today I published a special St. Patrick's Day post, and the title of it is actually a foreign phrase: Erin go Bragh. That phrase is Gaelic for "Ireland forever." Well, it's sort of Gaelic. I'm not sure how to spell anything in actual Gaelic; Erin go Bragh is the Anglicized version of the phrase. But writing that phrase reminded me of other foreign phrases that are often used in speech and writing.

I have lots of training in the use of the English language, but almost no training in the use of other languages. That's one of the biggest deficits of my education; I wish I'd learned another language! But I know a few foreign words and phrases, and I like to use them. I'll bet you do, too.

There are a couple of guidelines for using foreign words and phrases in your writing:

• Spell them correctly. Their spelling may not look right in English, but after all, they're NOT English. Don't apply English spelling rules to foreign words.
• Italicize them. When typing, the appropriate way to denote a foreign word or phrase is to italicize it.

Examples:

I bid you adieu.

Bon voyage! Hope you have a wonderful trip!

There are a few foreign words that seem to get used a lot in the blogosphere. Several readers have asked that I write about a word that many of us use when we mean to say "Ta-da! Here it is!" That word is often pronounced "wa-lah" (although I think the accurate pronunciation is more like "vwa-lah"). Lots of bloggers use it when unveiling projects, and some write it the way they would say it. If you're speaking, your listeners will hear the sound "wa-lah," and they'll know what you mean. But if you're writing, you should know that this is the French word voila. It's a great word, and it's a fun word to use. . . you should try it. But spell it voila, not "wa-lah."

Another such word is the Italian word that sounds like "chow." It's a wonderful, useful word that can mean "hello" or "good-bye." It is spelled ciao.

One more Italian word we often use is the word that conveys the thought "Do you get it? Do you understand?" in one word. When English-speakers say this word, it sounds like "ka-peesh." But it's not spelled "ka-peesh," or "kapish," or even "capiche." It's spelled capisce.

To tell the truth, I think that people from other countries probably get a kick out of our using some of their words. But I think that if we're going to use their words, we should be respectful enough to spell them correctly. If you don't know how to spell a foreign word, simply do a quick internet search for it, spelling it however you THINK it might be spelled. You should be able to find the correct spelling pretty easily.

I hope you're finding this grammar series helpful. As always, please let me know if you have questions or if you have pet peeves you'd like for me to address. And if you have a specific question and need a quick answer, feel free to email me (RichellaP {at} Gmail {dot} com). I'm always happy to help if I can!

Ciao!