definitions Flashcards
what is prescriptivism
means to prescribe rules to language
- the attitude that language should have a strict set of rules
- it should be preserved and fixed
what is descriptivism
means to describe language usage
- language change should be acknowledged and recorded rather than judged and corrected
what is borrowing/a loan word
introduction of a word from one language to another ( can be angelicanised or remain the same)
what is an eponym
the name of a person after whom something is named eg. sandwich, braille
what is etymology
the origin of a word
what is initialism
a word made up of initial letters with each letter being pronounced eg. CD, DIY
what is clipping
a new word which is pronounced from shortening down an existing one (eg. bro, fridge)
what is affixation
addition of bound morphemes to an exisiting word (eg.suffixes and prefixes)
what is conversion
a word changes its word class without a suffix eg. text is a noun AND a verb
what is a compound
combination of separate words to create a new word eg. carbon-footprint
what is back formation
the removal of an imagined affix from an existing word eg, donate from the word donation, diagnose from diagnosis, televise from television
what is blending
two words fusing together to make a new one eg, smog is smoke and fog fused together
what is amelioration
words gaining a more positive meaning
what is pejoration
words gaining a more negative meaning
what is narrowing
words becoming more specific in meaning
