Language Change

Question 1

historical (diachronic) linguistics

Answer 1

studying one language at 2 different points in time

Question 2

comparative linguistics

Answer 2

comparing more than one language at one point in time

Question 3

proto-language

Answer 3

a common ancestor for other languages, has no written evidence but is assumed to have been spoken at one time

Question 4

dead languages

Answer 4

those that no longer have any living native speakers

Question 5

generalization

Answer 5

increasing the scope of a word

Question 6

specialization

Answer 6

decreasing the scope of a word

Question 7

amelioration

Answer 7

elevating the connotation of a word

Question 8

perjoration

Answer 8

lowering the connotation of a word

Question 9

taboo

Answer 9

stigmatizing a word or phrase

Question 10

metaphor

Answer 10

extending a word to contexts outside of its literal sense

Question 11

association

Answer 11

change in meaning based on a word’s association with a secondary object

Question 12

dilution

Answer 12

loss of semantic content from extensive use

Question 13

OV (object-verb) pattern

Answer 13

Modifier-Head (Atlantic Ocean)
Postpositions (hereafter)
Verb-Auxiliary (seen had)

Question 14

VO (verb-object) pattern

Answer 14

Head-Modifier (Lake Superior)
Prepositions (afternoon)
Auxiliary-Verb (had seen)

Question 15

adjectival

Answer 15

a word that is used as a modifier but may not itself be an adjective

Question 16

Grimm’s Law

Answer 16

a series of consonant sound changes

Question 17

Grimm’s Law changes (1)

Answer 17

voiceless stops become fricatives
/p/ –> /f/
/t/ –> /th/
/k/ –> /h/

Question 18

Grimm’s Law changes (2)

Answer 18

voiced stops become voiceless
/b/ –> /p/
/d/ –> /t/
/g/ –> /k/

Question 19

functionalism

Answer 19

language changes in order to help speakers communicate more effectively

Question 20

misapprehension

Answer 20

language changes when speakers make a mistake in processing it due to ambiguous structures