Therapist or therapeut, a word conflict in Mexico

Abstract

In Mexico it is common to refer to professionals specialized in physical, occupational, language, or

human communication therapy as terapista. Terapista and terapeuta are words currently in use in

the spanish-speaking world. In the spanish language, a great number of words have originated from

vulgar latin and greek. The Real Academia Española de la Lengua (Royal Academy of the Spanish

Language) currently accepts use of the word «terapista», word likely having its origin as an anglicism,

due to translator error or misinformation. Another possible reason for the existence of such word is a

person’s interlanguage, which refers to an individually translated version of a foreign word, which has

been internalized by an individual. Also, linguistic borrowings, colloquial terms and neologisms are

to be considered as factors of cultural and linguistic enrichment of a country or region, adding new

words to common and daily communication codes. We must also admit that the spanish language is

currently being highly influenced by other languages, partly due to causes attributed to globalization

and the network society. Although the word terapista could be considered as accepted, either as

a calque, interlanguage term or anglicism, and therefore as a new word, and that it has become of

common use in Mexico and is «valid», apparently its use tends to decrease.