Contemporary Change Flashcards
Change processes
S-curve model
P.I.D.C
Wave model
Overlapping change features
S-curve model
Words begins to be used by a few people (gradual)
More people use it (speeds up)
Becomes popular and codified
Change slows again
(Some people refuse to use it or too far away to use it so not 100%)
P.I.D.C
P= Potential to change (need to change from internal pressures e.g. inventions) I= Implementation (used in small groups) D= Diffusion (change spreads through the population. Some people refuse change) C= Codification (change is fully accepted and made official e.g. dictionaries)
Baileys wave model
Social and geographical situations alter how quick pick up change
Closer we are to the point of change the more likely you are to pick it up
Like ripples, the further away you are the less likely you are to use it
Change gradually moves across the country socially and geographically and slowly dies out
Aitchison Overlapping change features
Old and new forms coexist until old forms are lost
Two meanings of gay coexisted until the meaning of happy is now lost
Change theories
Functional theory
Substratum theory
Sapir-whorf hypothesis
Random fluctuation theory
Functional theory - Halliday
Language changes according to the needs & uses for social and functional reasons - e.g. technology
Words drop out of usage e.g. tuppence, cassette
Some words that drop out can be recycled if they’re needed for a new function
Substratum theory - William labor
Lower levels in society change languages or words
E.g. Eastern European Jews (Yiddish) influenced NY accent door said with 2 syllables
Invasions of Britain included new words
Sapir-whorf hypothesis
Language changes our thoughts - determinism of how we see the world (strong version)
Language influences our thoughts but doesn’t control it (weak version)
Language reflects our thoughts (reflectionism)
Random fluctuation theory - Charles hockett
Random errors create changes - it’s unpredictable
Cultural transmission - conventions are learned by interacting with more experienced users
Some aspects are innate but mainly come from native speakers
Result of ever changing language contexts
Language change attitudes
Prescriptivism -damp spoon syndrome -crumbling castle -infectious disease Descriptivism
Descriptivism
Describe how the language is used
Seeks to understand, explain and describe all forms of language and not judge them e.g. accepting slang
Accept change and think it’s evolutionary, inevitable, unstoppable
Prescriptivism
Prescribe how the language should be used
Want to maintain a standard form
Linguistic gatekeeping - control what change is allowed
Try to restrict / prevent language change - detrimental
Crumbling castle - jean aitchison
We need to preserve the language at a time when it was perfect
The language is decaying
Being grammatically incorrect and Inkhorn terms = decay
Argument against - no time when the language was perfect
Infectious disease - jean aitchison
We catch change from people we interact with
Slang, Americanism
Argument against - changes are caught and people pick up changes because they want to
Damp spoon syndrome - jean aitchison
Language changes because we become lazy and don’t use it properly
Contractions in writings e.g. it’s rather than it is
Argument against - the only lazy speech is drunken speech
Talking fast uses more muscles and glottal stops than pronouncing “t’s” properly
Semantic change (10)
Change in meanings
Broadening (word widens it’s meaning e.g. Google)
Narrowing (word becomes more specific e.g. Apple)
Metaphor (takes on a metaphorical meaning e.g. think outside the box)
Metonym (represents a concept bigger than itself e.g. White House)
Strengthening (meaning gets intensified e.g. decimate)
Weakening (meaning gets less intense e.g. starving)
Amelioration (change from negative to positive meaning e.g. sick)
Derogation (change from positive to negative meaning e.g. gay)
Semantic shift (gains another meaning e.g. fit)
Euphemism (polite expressions for unpleasant things e.g. passed away)
Lexical change (13)
How new words come into the language
Lexical attrition (words fallout e.g. thou)
Back formation (formed from existing words e.g. televise)
Acronym (first letter of every word = new word e.g. FOMO)
Initialism (first letter of every word pronounced individually e.g. GCSE)
Derivation (suffixes/prefixes added e.g. regift)
Blending (parts of words are joined together e.g. spork)
Compounding (putting 2 words together e.g. laptop)
Foreign borrowing (using words from other languages e.g. pizza)
Clipping (words are shortened and become the norm e.g. celeb)
Conversion (words shift from one category to another e.g. bottle)
Abbreviation (longer words are shortened for informality e.g. don’t)
Slang (informal language e.g. peak)
PC terms (less derogatory terms e.g. traveller)
