language change

• What is an example of an archaism?

  Wireless for radio
• What does pejoration mean in semantics?

  Good meaning turns bad
• What is amelioration in language?

  Bad meaning turns good
• What does obsolete mean?

  No longer used or understood
• What is broadening in language?

  Means more things
• What does narrowing refer to in semantics?

  Means less things
• What is weakening in semantics?

  Less positive or negative meaning
• What is coinage in linguistics?

  Creation of new words
• What is a neologism?

  New words themselves
• What is compounding in linguistics?

  Combining two words to create a new one
• Give an example of compounding.

  Thumb + print = thumbprint
• What is affixation?

  Adding prefixes or suffixes to words
• What is blending in linguistics?

  Merging two words together
• Provide an example of blending.

  Net + etiquette = netiquette
• What is conversion in linguistics?

  Changing the class of an existing word
• What is nominalisation?

  Verb to noun transformation
• Give an example of nominalisation.

  Interfere to interference
• What is verbalisation?

  Noun to verb transformation
• What is borrowing in linguistics?

  Taking words from another language
• Provide an example of borrowing.

  Pyjamas from India
• What is clipping?

  Dropping syllables to create an abbreviation
• Give an example of clipping.

  Demonstration to demo
• What is an acronym?

  Initial letters combine to make a word
• Provide an example of an acronym.

  NASA
• What is an initialism?

  First letter of a word stands for a word
• Provide an example of an initialism.

  FBI
• What is an eponym?

  Words derived from people's names
• Provide an example of an eponym.

  Nicotine from Jean Nicot
• What are brand names?

  Proprietary names for products
• What is back formation?

  Removing a suffix from a word
• Provide an example of back formation.


  Baby-sitter to baby-sit
• When did the Celts arrive in Britain?

  500 BC
• What period did the Romans occupy Britain?

  430 BC to 450 AD
• Who invaded Britain in 449 AD?

  Anglo Saxons and Jutes
• What did the Anglo Saxons and Jutes contribute?

  Gave us day names
• What significant event occurred in 1066?

  Norman Conquest
• What did the Norman Conquest introduce?

  New lexis for food
• When did English become the mother tongue of Great Britain?

  1808
• What year was Caxton's printing press introduced?

  1476
• What was the impact of Caxton's printing press?

  Started standardization of English