# Something Borrowed | Constantino Giaquinto | TEDxIBEuropeanSchool Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD2bTMMpC6w Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/TD2bTMMpC6w Generated: 2026-01-08T16:35:18.539+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Constantino Giaquinto argues that the rapid, untranslated borrowing of English loan words into Georgian, such as the word "inclusi," creates significant comprehension gaps in civic discourse, particularly excluding elderly and rural populations, and advocates for the restoration of institutional mechanisms to create localized, understandable translations. **Key Points:** - A child misunderstood the English loan word "inclusi" to mean only a person in a wheelchair, highlighting confusion caused by concepts not properly translated into Georgian. - English shows an "almost vertical line" on the lexical borrowing chart, indicating a "very high pace of lexical borrowing over a very short period of time" compared to Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Russian. - Linguists suggest it should take two to three generations (75 to 100 years) for natural language absorption, and anything faster leads to comprehension gaps. - Discussions on critical topics like femicide prevention use English loan words almost exclusively, exemplified by a document where the only Georgian word was "da" (and), leaving rural and elderly populations excluded from civic discourse. - Giaquinto suggests restoring institutional mechanisms, citing the defunct Georgian State Language Department's technical dictionary, and points to Latvia, Lithuania, and Iceland as models for promoting native terms. - Populist groups exploit the influx of foreign words, portraying them as markers of "foreign influence and donor-driven agendas," which positions progressive ideas as dangers to national identity. - The speaker warns that failing to localize words like "scrolling" or "location" means missing the opportunity to teach children Georgian equivalents like "orgili" or "orna" and hinders broader societal participation. **Context:** Constantino Giaquinto, who grew up bilingual with a Georgian mother and American father, shares his experience moving to Georgia for high school where he noticed significant linguistic disconnects when English civic and political terminology was imported directly into the Georgian language. Georgia has a unique, non-Indo-European language and has historically dealt with lexical borrowing, but the current pace of English influx is creating problems for communication across different demographics. ## Detailed Analysis Constantino Giaquinto discusses the critical issue of rapid lexical borrowing from English into Georgian, which he argues undermines civic engagement by creating concepts that large segments of the population, specifically the elderly and rural communities, cannot understand. He uses the anecdote of a student confusing "inclusive" with a specific physical disability due to a poorly translated civic education poster. Analyzing historical borrowing rates, he notes that English influx is occurring much faster than the natural absorption rate of 75 to 100 years, leading to comprehension gaps. This is evident in high-level discussions, such as one on femicide prevention, where the text was almost entirely English loan words. Giaquinto questions the purpose of civic discussions if the general society cannot fully grasp the content, suggesting the need to restore institutional control over foreign word inflow, similar to the former Georgian State Language Department's technical dictionary. He praises models like Iceland, which actively creates new native words for modern concepts to maintain linguistic purity. Finally, he highlights the political consequence: populist groups weaponize these foreign terms, framing them as indicators of foreign agendas, thereby undermining beneficial progressive ideas and threatening local identity. ### Linguistic Context in Georgia - Georgian language is non-Indo-European - Historical borrowing occurred from Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Russian - English borrowing rate is almost vertical, indicating extreme speed. ### Problem of Untranslated Concepts - Misunderstanding of "inclusi" illustrates confusion - English loan words exclude elderly and rural populations from discourse - Examples include femicide prevention discussions lacking Georgian terminology. ### Proposed Solutions and International Parallels - Restore government control over foreign word influx - Look to Latvia, Lithuania, and Iceland for promoting native terms - Iceland creates new Icelandic words for modern concepts instead of importing. ### Societal and Political Ramifications - Failure to localize means missing opportunity to teach native words like "orgili" - Populist groups exploit foreign words as markers of "foreign influence" - This weaponization poses progressive ideas as dangers to national identity.