Aitchson's metaphors

Question 1

Outline

Answer 1

Aitchson attacks the prescriptivist view in her three language myths that she feels are false

Question 2

1. The crumbling castle

Answer 2

Suggests that the English language was once a great castle but over time it has decayed and crumbled into the sea. She argues that no year can be found where language is perfection

Question 3

2. The infectious disease

Answer 3

suggests that bad English is spread from person to person. She argues that people pick up changes in language because they want to

Question 4

3. The damp spoon

Answer 4

suggests that bad English sticks to people who are lazy and passive. She argues only drunken speech is lazy

Question 5

Example

Answer 5

the omission of past tense endings is claimed as laziness - ‘Pamela jump back’ rather than ‘Pamela jumpED back’
However this is just quicker and unlikely to destroy the meaning