Language Change

Question 1

What is coinage/ neologism?

Answer 1

Deliberate creation of a new word, not common process of word formation eg. hobbit, spoof

Question 2

What is borrowing/ loan words?

Answer 2

Borrowing words/ concepts from other languages, they are either anglicised or retin their original spelling or phonology eg. bungalow, landscape

Question 3

What is compounding?

Answer 3

Words are combined together to form new words, can be open, hyphenated or solid eg. user-friendly, handheld

Question 4

What is clipping?

Answer 4

Words are shortened and shortened version becomes the norm eg. pram, phone

Question 5

What is blending?

Answer 5

Combination of clipping and compounding, words are abbreviated and joined together to form new wordeg. moped

Question 6

What is an acronym?

Answer 6

First letters are taken from a series of words to create a new term eg. AIDS, NASA

Question 7

What is an initialism?

Answer 7

First letters from a series of words from a new term but each letter is pronounced eg. CD, OMG

Question 8

What is affixation?

Answer 8

One or more free morphemes are combined with one or more bound morphemes eg. disinterest, regift

Question 9

What is conversion/ functional shift?

Answer 9

Word shifts from one word class to another, usually from noun to verb

Question 10

What is an eponym?

Answer 10

Names of a person or company that are used to define particular objects, often investors or distributers of object eg. Pasterurise, Maverick

Question 11

What is back formation?

Answer 11

Verb is created from an existing noun by removing suffix eg. liase from liason, locate from location

Question 12

What is amelioration?

Answer 12

Where meaning of word improves in meaning or connotations over time eg. nice used to mean ignorant

Question 13

What is pejoration?

Answer 13

Where meaning of word deteriorates in meaning/ connotations over time eg. silly used to mean holy or blessed

Question 14

What is broadening?

Answer 14

Where words accquire a broader reference eg. hoover used to mean one brand

Question 15

What is narrowing?

Answer 15

Where words accquire narrower reference eg. deer used to refer to animals in general

Question 16

How has Old English (5th century) chnaged language?

Answer 16

Anglo Saxon and Old Norse heavily influenced English language
English dveloped by help of Angles, Jutes and Saxons
Viking raids until start of 11th century

Question 17

How has Middle English (11th century) changed English?

Answer 17

1066 Norman invasions happened
French was the verbal language in court and administration
Latin was written in documents and in church
Chaucer began to write in English

Question 18

How has Early modern Englsih (15th century) chnaged English?

Answer 18

South east dialect: new standard English
Interest and pride in English language
More people wrote in English such as Shakespeare
Dvelopment of printing press meant more work printed in English established English standard form

Question 19

How has Modern English (18th century) chnaged English?

Answer 19

Words from Latin, Greek and around the world incorporated
Grammarians: examine structure and grammar, establish patterns and the way language is used, correct ways of speaking and writing

Question 20

How has present day English (20th century) changed English?

Answer 20

Developed help of media influence, technology and travel esablish English as global language

Question 21

Robert Lowth (1762) viewpoint

Answer 21

Prescriptivist: wrote influential grammar book “A Short Introduction to English Grammar”, argued that some constructions were gramatically wrong such as we can’t split infinitives
However, you can split an infinitiv and have it make sense bu you can’t in Latin and he wants to use Latin as it is more prestigous

Question 22

Oxford English Dictionary viewpoint

Answer 22

Decriptivist: Aim was to record language as it as and not prescribe rules
However it is contraversial because people will typically look in the dictionary to find the correct meaning/ spelling