Change theories Flashcards
Theory One:
What does Hallidays Functional Theory suggest?
Language changes to adapt to the needs of its users.
An example of language changing to adapt to the needs of its users is?
Vinyl, MP3 (initialism)
What else does HFT say?
New things are invented and older things become obsolete.
An example of a new invention.
PNP (1998) Large Hadron Collider
What is ‘cronut’ an example of?
Blending
What is semantic change?
Technology causes changes in the meanings of words as they adapt to express things that did not previously exist.
Example of semantic change.
‘mouse’ ‘bug’ - semantic broadening
Increased communication such as text have led to?
Increased graphological development.
Various ways to communicate para-linguistic content.
Example of graphological development.
Emojis
What else does lexical change reflect? (HFT)
Changes in knowledge, understanding and ideas
Example of changes in ideas.
‘flexischooling’ affixation, participle verb
Criticisms of HFT
- Only explains lexical change
- Sometimes new words replace existing words eg ‘hounds’ became ‘dogs’
Theory Two:
What does Changes in Social Attitudes mean?
When the attitudes and values of society changes, language changes too.
Example of changes in social attitudes.
‘Bastard’ used to mean a child born out of wedlock, it is now used as an insult.
This is an example of semantic shift.
What is reclaiming?
When a derogatory sign or word is consciously used by the ‘original’ target of the derogation in a positive or oppositional sense.
Words that were once a slur now are a sense of identity.
Semantic shifting/Amellioration
Theory Three:
What is Sapir-Whorf’s theory?
Reflectionism and Determinism
What is Reflectionism?
A persons language reflects their way of thinking, eg a person using a racist term reflects their prejudice towards ethnic groups.
What is Determinism?
The idea that if people can be persuaded not to use such terms, but more acceptable ones, their way of thinking will change.
What is determinism the basis of?
Political correctness
Who criticised Sapir-Whorf?
Pinker
Why did Pinker criticise Sapir-Whorf?
Pinker argues that thought is independent of language.
You do not think of what you’re saying before you do.
We all think in a ‘meta-language’ called ‘mentalese’
