Contemporary Language Change (Lexical Change) Flashcards
What is foreign borrowing
Borrowing words from other languages
3 examples of foreign borrowing
Sushi, mall, pizza
What is lexical attrition
Words falling out of everyday use
3 examples of lexical attrition
Vinyl, floppy disk, main frame
What is derivation
Suffixes and/or prefixes are added to existing words
3 examples of derivation
Hyperactive, supersonic, minibar
What is conversion
A word shifts from one word class to another
3 examples of conversion
to head the ball, to elbow something, to bottle something
What is backformation
A word that is formed from an existing word, typically by removal of a suffix
3 examples of backformation
televise (television), baby- sit (babysitter), sleaze (sleazy)
What is blending
Parts of words are joined together to form a new word
2 examples of blending
Video log- vlog, fog & smoke- smog
What is compounding
Whole words combined to form new words
3 examples of compounding
sunburn, fingerprint, laptop
What is clipping
Words are shortened and the shortened version becomes the norm
3 examples of clipping
electronic mail- email, echo bay- eBay
What is abbreviation
Longer words are shortened, creating an informal tone
3 examples of abbreviation
public house- pub, celebrity- celeb
What is acronym
First letters are taken from a series of words to create a new word that can pluralised
An example of an acronym
W.A.G.S- wives and girlfriends,
What is initialism
First letters are taken from a series of words, but each letter is pronounced
3 examples of initialism
D.N.A, S.M.S, D.K.N.Y
What is slang
Informal language used by a particular social group
4 examples of slang
peng, lit, creps, fam
What are PC (politically correct) terms
Less derogatory terms used to avoid offence and/or discrimination
2 examples of PC terms
firefighter (fireman), disabled (cripple)
What did John Algeo find in his research (1990)
That the majority of new words were formed through derivation and compounding
