Computer Loanwords and Tendencies of the Use of Equivalents

In the paper computer loanwords and tendencies of the use of Lithuanian equivalents among students were explored and the factors determining their choice were defined. The computer terminology is one of the newest sections of special terminology and thus has not yet been established. The larger half of computer terms are adopted from English, the spread of which is being tried to restrain, that is why barbarisms are being replaced by appropriate Lithuanian terms. However, suitable substitutes are not always to be found. Furthermore, not all of the new terms proposed by the specialists establish themselves in the Lithuanian language. The adoption or rejection of a particular Lithuanian term can be defined by various factors: brevity of term, sonority, comfort of use, clarity, fidelity, adoption of the loanword, etc. The paper analyses the data, provided in questionnaires by students of Kaunas University of Technology, about the use of 10 computer loanwords and the use of 1 equivalent and discusses the factors, defining the adoption or rejection of loanwords