Language Change Flashcards

1
Q

Language change

A
  • is inevitable
  • rarely systematic
    -occurs all the time
  • words leaving, and entering
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2
Q

What does language change reflect

A

social change

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3
Q

Lexical change processes

A
  • word loss
  • word formation
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4
Q

Word loss

A
  • obsolescence
  • archaism
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5
Q

Obsolescence

A

gradual loss of lexical items from the lg

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6
Q

Obsolescence example

A

mouldwarp

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7
Q

Archaism

A

word that still has some current use but connotes old-fashioned lg

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8
Q

Archaism examples

A

hark

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9
Q

Word formation processes (lexical change)

A
  • borrowings
  • neologisms
  • communisation
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10
Q

Borrowings

A

process of adopting linguistic features from other lgs

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11
Q

Does foreign words have more or less presitge than english words

A

more

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12
Q

Borrowings examples

A

cappuccino (italian)

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13
Q

Neologisms

A

creation of a newly coined word from scratch or from pre-existing words

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14
Q

Neologism examples

A

selfie

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15
Q

Commonisation

A

propor nouns (names) enter the lg as new words (common nouns)

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16
Q

Commonisation examples

A
  • bandaid
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17
Q

what are semantic changes due to?

A
  • social change and attitudes
  • taboo and insults
  • morphological misinterpretation
  • prestige + status
  • cultural importance
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18
Q

Taboo meaning

A

socially sensitive topics e.g. race, gender

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19
Q

denotation

A

literal meaning, codified

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20
Q

Connotation

A

associated meaning

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21
Q

Etymology

A

study of orign and history of words

22
Q

Denotation processes

A
  • broadening
  • narrowing
  • shifting
23
Q

broadening

A

semantic boundaries of a word are widened

24
Q

Broadening example

A

barn - just for barley to all crops and animals

25
Q

narrowing

A

semantic boundaries of a word narrow

26
Q

Narrowing examples

A

starve - die of anything vs. to die of hunger

27
Q

Shifting

A

sematic boundaries of a word change completely

28
Q

Shifting examples

A

sad from mature and trustworthy to unhappy

29
Q

Connotation processes

A
  • elevation
  • deterioration
30
Q

Elevation

A

connotations become more positive

31
Q

Elevation example

A

wicked from evil to excellent

32
Q

Deterioration

A

connotations become more negative

33
Q

Deterioration example

A

villain - villager to evil character

34
Q

Morphological change processes

A
  • word formation processes
  • word addition
35
Q

Word formation processes (morphological change)

A
  • abbreviations
  • shortening
36
Q

Abbreviations

A
  • acronym
  • initialism
37
Q

Acronym def + eg

A

pronounceable as a word e.g. ANZAC

38
Q

Initialism def + eg

A

pronounced as a series of letters eg. RSPCA

39
Q

Shortening

A

dropping beginning/endings to create shorter form

40
Q

Shortening examples

A

gym (gymnasium)
flu (influenza)

41
Q

Word addition

A
  • compounding
  • affixation
  • backformation
  • blends
  • contractions
  • conversion
42
Q

compounding

A

combination of 2+ free morphemes to form new word

43
Q

Compounding examples

A

Bluetooth, timeframe

44
Q

Affixation

A

add affixes to a base word to create new word

45
Q

Affixation examples

A

submarine, proactive

46
Q

Backformation

A

opposite of affixation, remove what people believe are bound morphemes

47
Q

Backformation examples

A

addict (addiction)
edit (editor)

48
Q

Blends

A

combination of two exisiting words where one+ are shortened in some way

49
Q

Blends examples

A

smoke + fog = smog
skort

50
Q

Contractions

A

shortening and combining two words
e.g. can’t, don’t

51
Q

Conversion

A

word changes word class

52
Q

Conversion examples

A

mail N -> V
gift, N -> V