The misnomer that is purity of language

The debate on purity of language is not new to China. Words from other languages are being more frequently used by Chinese people and many of them have been almost accepted as part of the Chinese language, much to the chagrin of some people.

Some cultural and language experts in China have always led the criticism against the use of loanwords, because they believe the "official" Chinese language should use as few words as possible from other languages to maintain its "purity".

Such concerns are not unique to China. Other countries have also witnessed "pure language" campaigns. For instance, in 1994 France approved a law forbidding the use of foreign language in public announcements, advertisements and broadcasting.