Glossary Flashcards
Language change
Considering larger-scale public discourse about change and variety, drawing upon regional, ethnic, national and global Englishes.
Discourse
A stretch of language (spoken, written or multi-modal) considered in its context of use.
Etymology
The study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.
Polygenesis
Languages developed all over the world at roughly the same time - this seems to account for all the different languages.
Monogenesis
Languages all originated in one place and split away from each other as speakers migrated away.
Diachronic change
Studying the historical development and evolution of language.
Synchronic change
Studying language change at a particular moment in time.
Top down change
When an elite or authority attempts to influence the development of something (in this case, language)
External factor
A factor to do with external forces. For example, the Norman conquest led to large amounts of Norman-French loan words.
Internal factors
A factor relating to the internal structure of the language system.
Borrowing
Incorporating words and phrases from another language.
Functional theory
The idea that language changes because society does.
Linguistic relativity
The idea that language shapes our thinking but does not completely control it.
Standardisation
The process under which a language develops a “standard” prestige variety.
Lexicographer
Compiler of a dictionary
Lexis
Words (plural of lexeme)
Coinage
Invention of a new word or phrase
Acronym
Word made up from initial letters and pronounced as a word e.g. SCUBA
Initialism
Word made up from initial letters and each is pronounced separately e.g. BBC
Clipping/truncation
Word produced by shortening an existing one e.g. edit
Back formation
Removal of imagined affix from an existing word e.g. editor - edit