Key Words

• Synchronic Change


  Change of language over a specific period of time
• Diachronic Change

  Change of language overtime
• Prescriptivism

  A person who believes language should not change and everyone should follow a set standard of rules for language use. Views any change of language as incorrect.
• Descriptivism

  A person who has no judgement or negative attitude towards language change. Examines language and describes the changes that are happening.
• Neologism


  New word that enters the dictionary

  • Eg. deepfake, influencer, blockhead
• Changes from above

  Known as 'conscious change', denotes linguistic change that is initiated by those in a dominant social position or occupying a position of power.

  • Eg. Johnson's Dictionary (1755), Swift (1712)
• Changes from Below


  Known as 'unconscious change'; usually driven by the users of the language, developing or adapting language according to their own social need.

  • Eg. Neologisms, archaic words
• Neosemy


  The process by which a new meaning develops for an existing word
• Generalisation/Broadening

  When the meaning of a word broadens, retains old meaning but takes on new meanings too

  • Eg. holiday, place
• Specialisation/Narrowing


  When a word becomes more specific in meaning

  • Eg. meat, wife
• Amelioration


  Overtime a word acquires a more positive meaning

  • Eg. Fond, passion
• Weakening/Bleaching


  The loss or reduction of the force of meaning of a word

  • Eg. Thing, shit
• Metaphor


  When words acquire additional meanings as physical ideas are extended to abstract ideas with similar qualities, allowing abstract ideas to be more clearly understood

  • Eg. Grasp, high
• Euphemism


  The creation of polite, but roundabout, expressions for things that may be considered unpleasant

  • Eg. Friendly fire, Collateral damage
• Polysemy


  Words acquire many possible meanings which coexist with the original

  • Eg. Milk/milking it, good, foot
• External Factors 


  When an external pressure affects how language is used
• Internal Factors


  When aspects of language itself naturally change
• Coinage


  Creating a new word
• Gatekeeping


  To cite 'new' words or expressions as 'wrong' or 'incorrect'
• Political Correctness


  The avoidance of forms or expressions that are perceived to exclude, marginalise or insult groups or people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against
• Reclamation


  An attempt to reverse the decline of a language or to revive an extinct one
• Archaic Word


  A word that is no longer used and is dying out
• Orthography


  The spelling system of a given language.
• Endangered Words


  Words that are falling out of use

  • Eg. Alienism, wittol, charabanc
• Perjoration

  Overtime a word acquires a more negative meaning

  • Eg. Awful, disease
• Borrowing/Loan Words


  Borrowing words or concepts from other languages

  • Eg. Spanish - Bananas
• Compounding


  Words are combined together to form new words

  • Eg. longwinded, user-friendly, handheld
• Clipping


  Words are shortened and the shortened form becomes the norm

  • Eg. Pram, phone, deli
• Blending


  Joining the beginning of one word to the end of another word

  • Eg. Smog from smoke and fog
• Affixation


  The process of adding an affix to a word to create either a different form of that word or a new word with a different meaning
• Back formation


  A word that is formed from an existing word which looks as though it is a derivative typically by the removal of a suffix