Language change

• diachronic approach to language


  Looking at language change through time, different periods. Get a strong look at etymology, but no contextual influence.
• Synchronic approach to language

  Looking at language simultaneously. Get a strong look at contexts, no etymological influence.
• Internal language change

  change within language - links to functional theory. “for the benefit of the language”, say descriptivists. shortcuts.
• External language change

  From outside language. such as:

  • 1066 - influence of the french through William the conqueror’s invasion of England. Words such as parliament. (Political, high society)
  • Viking invasion of England 865. Most functional words have viking roots. E.g. cake (concrete noun). base level stuff
• Etymology

  How a word is created and its meaning evolves with society
• Neosemy

  How the meaning of a word evolves so it holds an entirely new meaning. E.g. awesome
• Semantic change

  Where the use of a word evolves so much that it loses its original meaning to a certain social group. E.g.1. “awesome” no longer means terrifying and amazing to young people. E.g.2. ”gay” no longer means happy to young people, instead just homosexual.
• Impact of neologisms


  Needed to allow language to develop, otherwise wouldn’t have words for things. E.g. ”telephone“ invented by Alexander bell, otherwise no word for it
• functional theory - haliday 


  the idea that language changes based on the needs of its users and how it’s used. E.g. neologisms such as telephone, also links to aitchsons concept of compressed language.
• Random fluctuation theory - hockett


  idea that language change occurs due to accidents that catch on. E.g. “pwned” from a misspelling of owned, caught On
• Aitchsons metaphors (prescriptivist ideas, she a descriptivist)

  • Crumbling castle: idea that language was once perfect, now ”crumbling”. criticised by aitchson - no prescriptivist can agree on when the perfect time was.
  • Infections disease: language change is spread like an infections disease. Aitchson criticises with the concept that the language people use is a choice.
  • Damp spoon - language change occurs because people are too lazy to attempt to use the correct language. Like putting the damp spoon back in the sugar jar. Criticises by arguing the language we use is a choice.
• Deutcher

  reasons for change:

  1. Economical: saves time, shortcuts, portmanteau such as “brunch”. links to aitchsons compressed language concept.
  2. Analogy: unconscious effort to find patterns/ regulation results in language change. e.g. child says “ two foots”
• Simon heffer


  prescriptivist, strongly against language change Such as neosemy. E.g. literally not meaning something occurred in a literal manner. Agrees with crumbling castle.
• David crystal


  Descriptivist, argues language change needed. Only dead languages don’t change. e.g. telephone, wouldn’t be a word for it if bell didn’t invent it. Needed otherwise lose meaning.
• Drummond


  Found that words that start in smaller social groups “diffuse” to be used across everyday life. E.g: jargon terms such as touch base, start in corporate world now used in daily chat.
• Cheshire 2015


  Concept of multi-ethnolect. e.g: mle. Style of language influenced by multiple ethnic groups, such as cockney, jamaican, Nigerian, in MLE
• Eckert 2008


  Found in USA, the local white anglican dialect was seen as the local dialect, and that local variation of African American Vernacular English or Hispanic American just seen as general ethnolect. E.g: cool/hip just seen as white American. Ignore African-American influence
• Edwards 1986


  Found those who spoke creole seen as less academically capable. e.g. Used ”t” instead of “th”. essentially re-discovered racism
• Jean aitchsons compressed lamguage

  Modern day language has become more condensed and informal, use more economical (duelscher) language to fit needs, e.g. using “lol“ bcos fits in character requirement for an sms message.
• Grices maxims

  Maxim of quantity very relevant. People use shorter sentences to fit faster paced environment. e.g. in the workplace on teams
• saphir-whorf hypothesis

  Linguistic relativity. Language affects worldwide view/society
• Brian garner

  Any form of of language change lessens its use. E.g. Development of creoles
• Standardisation

  Rules diffuse and become widely used. Links to drummond’s diffusion theory. Particularly in formal writing. Heffer, garner support
• Lexical change

  Evolution of vocabulary. borrowing, creation Etc.
• Grammatical change

  The way words are structured/ ordered changes. For example, Yorkshire dropping of “the“ compared to RP. links To saphir-whorf
• Technological influence

  • Development of neologisms (telephone, etc)
  • compressed language (aitchson), links to deutcshers economic language
  • Promotiion of English as a liqua Franca
  • Development of influences on English. (Edward’s 1986 creole is ba)
• Pc/ language reform

  • Orwell - newspeak (idea of free speech)
  • Saphir-whorf
  • heffer. Language change bad. Ruining it, limiting what we can say
  • Drummond. diffusion, hurt by limiting what we can and can’t say.
• Halidays functions of language

  as society changes, we need new words to accommodate. For example, invention of computer
• Samuel Johnson’s dictionary

  1755
• John Simon’s view

  Language like a park, monument. Should be preserved