Attitudes To Language Change

Question 1

Prescriptivism

Answer 1

Old fashioned
Keep language the same

Question 2

Descriptivism

Answer 2

Open minded and non judgemental

Could argue that they’re allowing language to be warped with errors dictated by the uneducated

Laissez faire stance

Question 3

Aitchisons view

Answer 3

Language change is natural and inevitable
Argued that many of the complaints about falling standards are simply recycled from previous generations and all harked back to a mythical time when it was ‘at its peak’

Question 4

Plain English Campaign (1979)

Answer 4

Claim to challenge misleading public information and jargon

Attempt to prescribe clearer simple English

Question 5

Political Correctness Movement (PC)

Answer 5

Campaign to remove discriminatory offensive language

Remove all words with negative connotations

Question 6

Sticklerism - Greene
Polarisation meaning pres as bad and des as good

Answer 6

‘Finger wagging approach’
‘Grammar nazis’
Correcting language errors challenge - if not confusing then why change it??
Language changes, it always has??

Question 7

Declinism - Greene

Answer 7

Change means deterioration
But - literacy rates are higher than before - the peak it mythical

Question 8

Challenging prescriptivism

Answer 8

Showing off / superiority
Language and expectations change overtime
Prejudice against certain parts of society
Old fashioned
Real issue is shifts in power and tradition
Rarely creates confusion

Question 9

Challenging descriptivism

Answer 9

People always make judgements
Language does need rules for it to work
Precision is lost
Cannot allow a free for all
Times where do need to intervene - plan english camp and banning of words eg ‘bossy’

Question 10

Aitchisons damp spoon syndrome

Answer 10

Laziness is the cause of damage
Glottal stop isn’t lazy - actually use more muscle tension

What actually is lazy speech?
Drunken speech and lengthening of consonants

Question 11

Aitchisons crumbling castle

Answer 11

English was old and beautiful building which is now deteriorating

But when was it at its peak??

Blue footed booby - confirms rigid system and that a more flexible one would be better

Question 12

Aitchisons infectious disease

Answer 12

People want to adapt to different forms not a ‘disease’

‘Catch’ - ok - people do copy eacother eg Wave and S curve models

East Belfast Men - west Belfast women using similar vowel sounds in ‘grass’ due to contact in shops!!!!