Langauge Change AO2 Flashcards
Jean Atchison 2013
Crumbling castle
Damp spoon
Infections disease
Reflectionism
The idea language reflects the needs of its users
Determinism
Language controls our perception on life and influences our thoughts
Micheal Halliday- functions theory
As society changes language changes with it
Sapir whorf theory
The structure of language influences its speakers
Descriptivist
They describe language change without judgment
Prescriptivist
Believe that language should be preserved (crumbling castle) and are against change
Random fluctuation theory
Change is due to errors in language and it’s constantly changing nature
Substratum theory
When regional dialect comes into contact with standard English they may impose their own sound patters
. Immigrants may attempt to over correct
. Yiddish X NYC ‘aw’ in coffee
Estuary English
Warne described the new variant of English pronunciation- mix of non regional and sour eastern English
• use glottal stops (don’t pronounce t)
Strong linguistics determination
We are trapped by language and cannot think beyond it
Weak linguistic relativistic
Our thoughts are influenced by our language yet it doesn’t completely determine them
Giles accommodation theory
•convergence- how speakers adjust to accommodate others showing a need for approval
•divergence- when people diverge from others to show a sense of identity e.g. strong accent
Dennis freeborn
Regional accents are judged by people’s attitudes and feelings
•incorrectness view- standard English is the one and only accent and RP is seen as standard due to social prestige
•ugliness view- some accents don’t sound as nice- links to stereotypes
Sharron goodman 1996
Public texts are become more informal as a persuasive device
