I alway consider those that are called loanwords to be borrowed and still foreign words in whatever language has them in loan.

Yes, once they get respelled or repronounced that's usually a pretty good indication that they've been around for a while. So, hoosgow 'jail' < Spanish juzgado 'tribunal' < 'judged'. But what about words like German Brutto 'gross' or Netto[/i] 'net' (in the economic sense). They used to be Italian, but that language doesn't even use brutto anymore for 'gross' but lordo. But another part of it is how familiar are most speakers with the term. If I can use a word without footnoting it for my interlocutors then it's pretty much a native English word with all rights thereto.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.