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language change Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

what is coinage?

A

the deliberate creation of a new word

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2
Q

what is borrowing

A

borrowing words/concepts from other languages

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3
Q

what is compounding?

A

words combined together to form new words

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4
Q

what is clipping?

A

words shortened and if becomes the norm

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5
Q

what is blending?

A

combo of clipping and compounding

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6
Q

what’s an acronym?

A

first letters taken from a series of words to create a new term

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7
Q

what is initialism

A

same as acronym but letters are pronounced

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8
Q

what is affixiation?

A

1 or more free morphemes combined with bound morphemes e.g regift

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9
Q

what is conversion?

A

a word shifts from one word class to another e.g. text

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10
Q

what is eponym?

A

names of person/company used to define a particular object e.g. boycot

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11
Q

what is back formation?

A

a verb created by removing a suffix from a noun e.g burgle

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12
Q

what is neosemy?

A

the processes where a new meaning develops for an existing word

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13
Q

what is broadening?

A

it retains old meaning but also takes on added meaning

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14
Q

what’s narrowing?

A

a word becomes more specific in meaning

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15
Q

what is amelioration?

A

overtime a word aquires a more positive meaning

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16
Q

what is pejoration ?

A

overtime a word becomes negative

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17
Q

what is weakening?

A

reduction of force of meaning behind a word

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18
Q

what’s a euphemism?

A

the creation of polite but round about expressions for things that may be unpleasant/ taboo

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19
Q

what is polysemy?

A

words aquire many possible meanings which coexist with the orignal

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20
Q

what’s diachronic change?

A

the historical development of language

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21
Q

what’s synchronic change?

A

the study of language change at a particular moment in time

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22
Q

evaluate synchronic change

A

+ able to understand & talk about
+coping - humour
+community
-problematic
-confusing
-misleading

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23
Q

what drives change ?

A

human contact
standardisation
mass media
campaigning activists
snobbery- prestige
people- shakespeare

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24
Q

what’s the wave model

A

new language features eb and flow in use
dialects spread
natural like the sea
e.g. word “reem” used in estuary english

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25
Q

evaluate wave model

A

+useful in explaining language overtime pre social media
- change may not be that easy
-less applicable now due to social media

26
Q

what is random fluctuation theory (charles hockett)

A

-put significance on random errors & events as having an influence on language change
-LC occurs due to unstable nature of language
-e.g. “book” autocorrect - means “cool”

27
Q

what’s functional theory?

A

-language changed & adapts to user needs
-change in tech- new lexis
-slang led to change- group expression
-words slowly dissapear
-e.g. vinyl

28
Q

evaluate functional theory

A

+correlation between a changing society and changing vocabulary to fit new developments
-doesn’t account for all lang change as it mostly focuses on lexical changes

29
Q

what’s informalisation?

A

language forms reserved for personal relationships
-e.g. ‘bp garage’ used to be “BP garage” - more inline with advancing technology and buisness

30
Q

evaluate informalisation

A

+formal lang doesn’t use colloquialisms or 1st person pronouns
+informal more personal
-begin to cause more unprofessional work environments when encountering text messages and emails

31
Q

what’s change from above?

A

higher social hierarchy changing language- straight forward
e.g standardisation

32
Q

what’s change from below?

A

lower social hierarchy changing english unconsciously

33
Q

examples of change from above:

A

standardisation
ink horn controversy
“use plain english campaign”
language reform + political correctness

34
Q

evaluate sapir-whorf hypothesis

A

+words that are used in different languages help people feel apart of a group
-certain languages can be left behind to develop creating a divide

35
Q

what’s linguistic relativity?

A

language exerts a powerful influence over how we think and behave
e.g. russia have more words for blue - greater understanding

36
Q

evaluate linguistic relativity

A

+it’s interpretive + makes minimal assumptions beforehand about possible meanings in langauge
-some elements of language ‘influence’ (not determine) speakers perceptions & effect their behaviour
-language only influences thought

37
Q

what is political correctness

A

conservatism- careful of how to use language to not offend but not changing

38
Q

what’s language reform?

A

liberals
consciously changing langauge because it is considered unfair to different groups

39
Q

e.g of lang reform

A

wheelchair user vs wheelchair “bound”

40
Q

evaluate political correctness and language reform

A

+can make language more inclusive
-some believe that political correctness imposed restrictions on free speech

41
Q

what’s linguistic reclamation?

A

taking language that has had negative connotations and trying to overturn them by using the language in new ways
e.g. “slut” women refer to themselves as sluts to redefine the context in which the work is used

42
Q

evaluate lang reclamation

A

+can help develop a sense of connection with culture
+can provide people with a strong sense of pride and identity
+empowering
- could cause segragation
-mixed feelings - history s.g. cunt
-confusion e.g. queer vs n word

43
Q

what’s prescriptivism?

A

“correct way to use language”- change from above
rules

44
Q

what’s descriptivism?

A

-all linguists
-does not judge language+ it’s users
-observe how language is used without imposing rules
-sees language as something that changes overtime and is flexible

45
Q

what’s James Milroys golden age of language idea?

A

-doesn’t agree
- children can’t speak or write properly anymore
-prescriptivists that hold the view mask their prejudices and classism to make it seem like it is benefiting english speakers

46
Q

what is Jean Aitchisons metaphors?

A

opposes- uses it to show peoples pov
damp spoon
crumbling castles
infectious disease

47
Q

“damp spoon”

A

implies people have become lazy with language

48
Q

“crumbling castles”

A

people treat language as an ornate building that once had a peak of perfection but is now falling apart

49
Q

“infectious disease”

A

people pick up language change by trying to fit in with what’s new within language and society

50
Q

what is David Crystals metaphor?

A

swimming with the tide in a sea of language change

51
Q

what does crystals metaphor suggest?

A

language ebbs and flows bringing new words and taking others out in a natural progressive way- inevitable

52
Q

What’s L1 language?

A

First language (from birth)

53
Q

What’s L2 language?

A

Second language, official language of education & law

54
Q

What’s ELF

A

A budget language used to communicate between 2 users of different languages
Simplified

55
Q

Pidgin

A

Trade language
Slave trade

56
Q

What’s a creole?

A

Nature language that develops frin mixing different languages
E.g colonisation

57
Q

Kachrus circles

A

Inner circle- UK, America, Australia, South Africa, Canada

Outer circle- Singapore, india, Jamaica, Nigeria

Expanding circle- japan, Europe (English as a foreign language)

58
Q

Evaluate kachrus model

A

+simple model of hoe language has expanded globally

-superiority

59
Q

Macarthurs circle of English

A

Inner circle- groups of range of variants

Outer circle- more specific variants

60
Q

Evaluate macarthurs circle of English

A

+more equal

-doesn’t give info on numbers

  • rigid structure- doesn’t allow or reflect change
61
Q

Strevens family tree

A

Aligns spread of English with traditional family hierarchies
Mapping spread of English as reflection of colonisation

62
Q

Evaluate strevens model

A

+makes visible tracking of variants
+shoes clearly that the variant language of power will be the dominant language - America taking over

  • superiority

english language (4 decks)

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