Language Change Flashcards
What is a coinage?
The process of creating new words
What is a neologism?
A new word
What is borrowing?
Words that are simply ‘borrowed’ from another language
What is blending?
Process of taking two separate words and merging them together
What is compounding?
Process of combining two separate words to make one word
There can be open, closed and hyphenated
What is affixation?
Process of creating new words through adding new prefixes and suffixes to existing words
What is conversion?
Process of creating a new word by converting it to a different word class
What is clipping?
Dropping one or more syllables to create an abbreviation
What is initialism?
n abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced separately (e.g. BBC )
What is amelioration?
When a word develops a more positive meaning
What is pejoration?
When a word develops a more negative meaning
What is weakening?
Words making less of an impact than they used to
What is broadening?
A word’s specific meaning develops a broader meaning over time
What is narrowing?
A word’s meaning develops a narrower meaning over time
What are idioms?
Sayings that don’t make sense if you literally interpret the meanings of the words
How did language change in 1400-1600?
The Great Vowel Shift. In 1400, English vowels would have sounded very different to how they are pronounced today. Over 200 years, these vowels changed to something approaching the pronunciation we know today.
Example: time would have sounded like team, fame would have sounded like farm.
What year did William Caxton set up his printing press?
1476
Give three things that changed language in the 15th-17th Centurys?
- Many Greek and Latin texts were translated into English
- There was a gradual acceptance of a standard form of English (due to printing)
- Shakespeare and other great writers coined new words and phrases
What year did Samuel Johnson release the ‘English Dictionary’?
1755
How did language change in 18th-19th Centurys?
Attempts to define the vocabulary and grammar of English led to prescriptive ideas about correctness. Non-standard varieties were viewed as inferior.
What year did Robert Lowth release ‘A Short Introduction to English Grammar’?
1762
What is an eth?
The Eth is a letter that looks like a lower case f but replaces an s. It was still being used in printed texts in the 18th century.
What is Pinker’s Euphemism Treadmill?
The process whereby words introduced to replace an offensive word, over time becomes offensive themselves.
What is political correctness?
A term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offence or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society.
Example: partner
What is reflectionism?
Suggests that language reflects the needs, views, and opinions of its users. The argument is that to change language, you need to change attitudes.
What is the Sapir Whorf Hypothesis (determinism)?
Language exerts a powerful influence on how we think. To change attitudes we need to change language.
What is semantic reclamation?
The process of semantic reclamation of negative words by groups labelled by them.
Example: slut
What are Lowth’s seven grammatical rules?
- The pronoun ‘thou’ should no longer be used
- There should be differentiation between ‘will’ and ‘shall’
- There should be differentiation between ‘who’ and ‘which’ and ‘that’
- There should be regularisation between ‘who’ and ‘whom’
- Prepositions should be before the noun to which they are applied
- The infinitive verb should not be split
- Multiple negation and multiple comparison is illogical
What is the problem with Lowth’s seven grammatical rules for modern language users?
Many of the rules were rooted in Latin rules and Latin is a dead language
What is a prescriptivist?
Someone who believes language should stay the same
What is a descriptivist?
Someone who believes that new words in a language should be encouraged
What is standardisation?
The process by which grammarians and prescriptivists attempted to structure and influence language usage according to what they believed was correct or incorrect.
How did Caxton decide what spellings to use in his printed texts?
He chose the dialect being used in London at the time, mostly in the courts and universities (particularly Cambridge). This language was associated with political authority.
How did Johnson back up his definitions in his dictionary?
Definitions were backed up with quotes from the ‘best writers’ of the time such as Shakespeare.
As well as the definitions of words, what else did Johnson include in his dictionary?
The etymology of words which is how they entered the language
What is a proscriptivist?
Grammarians who outlined the rules on the types of language people should not use
Give two examples of key arguments in standardising grammar
- The split infinitive
2. The double negative
When did Thomas Sheridan publish ‘A General Dictionary of the English Language’ and what did it focus on?
1780, and it outlined how to pronounce words ‘properly’
What is the Damp Spoon Syndrome (Jean Aitchison)?
Suggests that language change is caused by sloppiness or laziness
What is Crumbling Castle (Jean Aitchison)?
English is a beautiful building that needs to be preserved so a rigid system is better than a flexible system. However, a flexible system is needed to cope with changing social circumstances
What is Infectious Disease (Jean Aitchison)?
We catch change from around us. Social contact is a key driving force for language change, but people pick up change because they want to
What is change from above?
Those in positions of authority impose a correct form of language on users
What is change from below?
Language users adapt language to suit a particular need
What is the aim of the Academie Francaise?
Their aim is to preserve the French language in its purest form and remove English borrowings that they believe are poisoning the language
When were the Academie Francaise founded?
Founded in 1635.
What are some examples of words the Academie Francaise have banned?
Buzz, fashionista, ASAP
What is the aim of the Queen’s English Society?
To keep the English language ‘safe’ from ‘declining’ standards.
When was the Queen’s English Society founded?
1972
When did the Queen’s English Society close and why?
It closed in June 2012 due to a lack of interest at their last meeting. It could not survive in the era of text-speak and Twitter.
What are the benefits of preserving a standard national language?
- Clarity and commonality
- Important for institutions such as education, civil service and the law
- National pride and identity
- Aesthetic qualities
- Shared cultural heritage
Give some points David Crystal made about language?
- Power always drives language
- American will become dominant
- America wants their own identity
