Language change

• Coinage and Neologisms 


  The creation of new words that enter everyday use in our language
• Archaic Language 


  When words fall out of use and are no longer used. Words become obsolete
• Borrowing 


  Our language is a hybrid. Words are borrowed from other languages and in turn this expands our own language
• Scientific process 


  Medicine, science and technology have led to the evolution of the language
• Affixation


  New prefixes and suffixes are added to existing words e.g. hyper added to active creates hyperactive
• Compounding 


  This is when a new word is created by combining two words to create one. They will usually have a hyphen

  e.g. life-threatening
• Blending 


  This is when two separate words are actually merged together. E.g. Affluenza or bromance
• Clipping 


  This is when a word drops certain syllables to create an abbreviation

  E.g. U for you

  Demo for demonstration
• Initialism 


  The first of a word stands for the word itself

  e.g. FBI
• Acronyms 


  Initial letters of words combine to create a new word

  e.g. NASA
• Amelioration 


  A word develops a positive meaning

  e.g. nice used to mean foolish
• Pejoration


  A word develops a negative meaning

  e.g. notorious is now associated with doing something bad
• Broadening 


  When a word develops a broader meaning over time
• Narrowing 


  When a word develops a narrow meaning over time

  e.g. meat used to mean food in general but has narrowed to mean animal flesh
• Great vowel shift 


  Between 1700 and 1900 the long vowel sounds in words became shorter and this helped articulation
• External Change 


  Outside influences have shaped the development of the language

  e.g. invasions, immigrations and the media
• Internal change 


  Internal changes occur to promote the need for simplification and ease of articulation
• Technology


  This has shaped the creation of new words. Industry, scientific advancement and inventions have added to new words entering the dictionary
• Caxton printing press


  1476, created by William Caxton and led to the standardisation process
• Standardisation 


  East Midland dialect selected as the standard form. This standardisation led to the creation of grammar guides and style manuals. Standardisation wasn’t embedded overnight as it was a gradual process
• Diachronic 


  How the language has evolved over time
• Asynchronic 


  How the language exists at one point in time
• Prescriptivism


  Restricts variation, control changes, impose standardisation, reject non-standard.

  Language should be viewed in one way and should have rules (be rigid)
• Descriptivism


  Describe variation, record change, avoid interference and understand use in context

  There should be a fluidity to language and that we can control language as there is no rules thus meaning we can create and change language
• Functional theory 


  The idea that language changes in response to context and needs of users
• Lexical gaps 


  ‘Gaps’ are words and usages that aren’t currently used to predict the path that the language change may take
• Random fluctuation 


  Charles Hockett suggested that random error and events can impact on the language systems
• Substratum Theory 


  Contact with other languages through different speakers can influence the language
• Wave and S curve 


  Part of the trend to see change as an organise process. Chen argued that change is taken up at a certain rate by users. Bailey argued that geographical distance has an impact on language change
• Determinism 


  Sapir Whorf Hypothesis

  Language determines thought
• Reflectionism 


  Sapir Whorf Hypothesis

  Language reflects thoughts
• Euphemism Treadmill 


  Pinker argues that euphemisms devolve into a taboo word themselves
• Crumbling castle - Aitchison 


  Believes change is disintegrating the structure of language
• Infectious disease - Aitchison 


  Change in language is infecting the language like a virus
• Damp spoon - Aitchison 


  Change is creating Laziness
• David Crystal -

  Swimming with the tide of language change:

  ”There is no predictable changes for the changes that are taking place. They are just that: changes“
• Oliver Kamm -

  Accidence will happen:

  ”Pedants are loud, numerous and indignant. They are convinced that standards in English usage are falling, and they blame schools and the media for tolerating this alleged deterioration. The outcome, so these purists maintain, is linguistic barbarism, in which slang, sloppiness and text-speak supplant English grammar. Don’t believe it. If there is one language that isn’t endangered, it’s English. The language is changing because that’s what a living language does.”
• Deutscher -

  The unfolding of language:

  ”Of all mankind’s manifold creations, language must take pride of place. Without language, we could never have embarked on our ascent to unparalleled power over all other animals, and even over nature itself.” - takes a descriptivist viewpoint
• Hitchings -

  The language wars:

  The development of the dictionary reflected Johnson’s own changing attitude to English. When he began work on the project, he believed he could embalm the language, yet by the time he completed it he was conscious of the necessary mutability of English.
• Hughes -

  Political correctness: A History of semantics and culture:

  ”Nevertheless, it (dictionary) has had a major influence on what is regarded as ‘acceptable’ or ‘appropriate’ in language, ideas, behavioural norms and values.”