WORD-FORMATION PATTERN BORROWING IN LATVIAN

English as the main contact language during the last three decades has affected Latvian word-formation patterns, patterns of use and patterns of convention. This is pattern borrowing, in addition to phonological borrowing which is also rife. Part of this contact-induced change can be viewed as structural impact, part as a shift in conventions. Previously rare stylistic means - idiom transformations, nonce compounding, conversion, derivative adjectives and new linguo-stylistic devices, such as native blends or compound phrases - have proliferated. These imported patterns have found a niche in the Latvian linguistic system and are now used in various speech domains. They have become part of the Latvian language and usage. In general we can view these shifts as an enhancement of Latvian's inherent linguistic potential rather than the contact-induced change of traditional patterns.