What is a calque (loan translation)? Give a common example.

• A. A calque is translating components of a phrase from one language to another.
• B. A calque is a direct loanword borrowed without translation.
• C. A calque is translating components of a phrase; example: 'flea market' from French 'marché aux puces.'
• D. A calque is a rhetorical flourish used to emphasize.

Answer: (C)

Calques are loan translations: a phrase from one language is recreated in another by translating its parts, not by borrowing a word as a whole. The example shows this clearly: “flea market” in English comes from the French “marché aux puces,” literally “market of fleas.” Here, the idea and the structure are imported piece by piece—market stays as market, and “of fleas” mirrors “aux puces.” This distinguishes a calque from a direct loanword, where the foreign word is borrowed intact (like “café”) without translating its parts. A calque captures both meaning and form by translating components, which is why this option is the best illustration of the concept.