What is a calque?

What is a calque?

• A. A word borrowed directly from another language
• B. A word-for-word translation from a foreign language
• C. A word formed by removing an affix
• D. A shift to a negative meaning

Answer: (B)

A calque is a loan translation: you translate a foreign expression literally into your own language, using native words that mirror the original’s structure and meaning. This creates a new term built from native equivalents rather than borrowing the foreign form. For example, flea market comes from the French marché aux puces, literally “market of fleas.” That word-for-word rendering illustrates the idea. It’s different from simply taking a foreign word as-is (a direct loan), and it isn’t about clipping a word or shifting a meaning negatively.

A calque is a loan translation: you translate a foreign expression literally into your own language, using native words that mirror the original’s structure and meaning. This creates a new term built from native equivalents rather than borrowing the foreign form. For example, flea market comes from the French marché aux puces, literally “market of fleas.” That word-for-word rendering illustrates the idea. It’s different from simply taking a foreign word as-is (a direct loan), and it isn’t about clipping a word or shifting a meaning negatively.