Chapter 19: Language Change Flashcards
Morphological change
The changing of the word formation of a language.
Syntactic change
The changing of sentence constructions in a language.
Lexical change
The changing of meanings of words in a language.
Grammaticalisation
The process of a lexical word changing into a grammatical element.
Pragmatic change
The changing of the rules of language use of a certain language.
Diachronic study
Study over time.
Synchronic analysis
Analysis at a particular moment.
Variable stage
When there are two or more different forms possible at the same time.
Categorical change
When constructions change and there is only one form possible, at the beginning and the end of the changing.
Bottom-up change
Language changes that start from the lower social groups and gradually speed to middle and higher social groups.
Top-down changing
Language changes that start at the top social groups and speed towards the middle and lower social groups.
Lexical diffusion
The gradual introduction and dissemination of new variants.
Phonological change
The changing of the sound system of a language.
