Lexical borrowing in journalism in a time of political crisis

Abstract

This article examines lexical borrowing from Russian that takes the form of loanwords and loan translations, often in connection with an explanation of the concept, in Finnish journalistic writing. The material consists of news articles that were published in three major Finnish online news outlets in the three-month period (one month per news outlet) that led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. During that time, with interest in Russian foreign politics growing and political tensions rising, news reporting on Russia also increased. The present study focuses on what was borrowed from Russian during that time and the kinds of translation strategies that were used by journalists to convey the meanings of Russian concepts to Finnish readers. Loanwords and loan translations are analyzed qualitatively and discussed from the point of view of the context of their use from December 2021–February 2022. The results show that loanwords were not numerous and often did not appear to aim to emphasize the foreign aspect.