Change from below Flashcards
what is change from below
ordinary people change language
why have varieties formed
form for convergence, belonging & identity e.g) Bristolian, MLE, teenspeak
language that saves time/ makes things easier
online/text language e.g) emojis & acronyms LOL, OMG, TTYL
example of language that’s embedded b/c of errors
1) literally - used as an intensifier or metaphorically
2) would of - instead of would have (sounds the same)
what did Norman Fairclough suggest
language has informalised as society has become more informal due to technology etc. (writing in a blended mode)
what is the random fluctuation theory
states that language change is random & unpredictable
what is the s-curve of change
demonstrates that language change happens gradually, then accelerates eventually levelling off (stabilising)
what did Charles Hockett say
errors occur in language & then gets passed on to others
e.g) literally, would of
Aitchison (descriptivist) described prescriptivist views using 3 metaphors…
1) crumbling castle- language needs to be protected
2) damp spoon- language change is vulgar
3) infectious disease- language change is an illness
how do prescriptivists judge language according to Mackinnon (descriptivist)
- correct/incorrect
- pleasant/unpleasant
- socially (un)acceptable
- morally (un)acceptable
- (in)appropriate
- useful/useless
what are inkhorn terms
words with exisisting roots borrowed from a different language considered unnecessary
examples of inkhorn terms that died out
1) exolete- obsolete
2) fatigate- to fatigue
3) ingent- immense
4) obtestate- to bear witness
internal issues- 2nd person pronouns
you, thou, thee, ye = confusing & overly-complicated so now its simplified to YOU
internal issues- capitalisation of nouns
random capitals on any important word was too random SO rules became consistent & only capitalise pronoun I, proper nouns etc.
internal issues- the long ‘s’
looked like an f & was confusing so phased out
