Language Change Flashcards
Acronyms
A lexicalised word is made up from the initial letters of a phrase.
Amelioration
A word takes on a different, more positive meaning and gains status
Back formation
The removal of an imagined affix from an existing word
Eg. Editor becomes edit
Blend
Two words fusing to make a new one
Borrowing
Introduction of one language to another
Broadening
A word keeps its original meaning but acquires another
Clipping
A new word is produced by shortening an existing one
Eg. Edit from editor
Compound
Combining separate words to create a new word
Conversion
A word changes it’s word class without affixation
Drift
Old meaning become forgotten and a word takes on a new meaning
Eponym
The name of a person after whom something was named
Euphemism
Describing something unpleasant in a more pleasant manner
Idiom
A speech form, or expression that can’t be understood literally from the meanings of the individual parts
Initialism
A word made from individual letters, each being pronounced CD,DJ
Metaphor
An abstract comparison that describes one thing as if it were another
Narrowing
Word becomes more specific in meaning
Neologism
Creation of new words
Pejoration
A word takes on a different more negative meaning
Prefix
Addition of a bound morpheme to beginning of a root word: mega, Uber
Proprietary name
Name given to a product by one organisation becomes the commonly used names for the same product
Semantic change
Occurs when words expand, contract and settle
Suffix
Addition of a bound morpheme to end of a root word (radical)ising a
Synonym
Different words that mean the same thing
Weakening
A word loses the strength of its original meaning
Accent
Distinctive manner of oral expression
Americanisms
Aspects of our lexicon borrowed/ adopted from American English
Assimilation
Where the pronunciation of one phoneme is affected by an adjacent phoneme
Calligraphy
Specific learned hand writing styles
Coinage
The creation of new terms
Dialect
A regional lexicon
Estuary English
Effect of London accents spreading through countries connected by the Thames
Etymology
The history of words
Eye dialect
A way of spelling words that suggests a regional way of talking
Graphology
The study of handwriting analysis
Omission
When sounds disappear from words
Orthography
Study of nature and use of symbols in a writing system
Palaeography
The study of ancient forms of writing
Phonology
Study of sound system of a given language
Preposition
A word like at, to, in, over. Prepositions usually come before a noun
Pronouns
A word like I, me, you, he. A pronoun replaces a noun
Standardisation
The movement towards a prescriptive form of the English language
Superlatives
An extreme comparison between two objects
Syntax
Word order in a sentence
Typography
The design and planning of printing matter using type
