Language Change

Question 1

Neologism

Answer 1

New words or phrases
Can also be a new meaning for an existing word or phrase

Question 2

Name for creating a neologism

Answer 2

Coining

Question 3

Name 6 ways of coining a neologism

Answer 3

Compounding
Affixation (derivation)
Backformation
Blending
Clipping
Acronym

Question 4

Compounding

Answer 4

Putting two complete words together
Girl + friend = girlfriend

Question 5

Affixation (derivation)

Answer 5

Adding an affix (prefix or suffix) to a word
Im + possible = impossible

Question 6

Backformation

Answer 6

Removing a part of a word that looks like (but actually isn’t) an affix
Edit -> editor

Question 7

Blending

Answer 7

Putting the parts of two or more words together
Smoke + fog = smog

Question 8

Clipping

Answer 8

Shortening a word
Gymnasium -> gym

Question 9

Acronym

Answer 9

Making a pronounceable word from the initial litters of a phrase
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome-> AIDS

Question 10

Semantic extension

Answer 10

When an existing word or phrase gets a new meaning but keeps its original meaning
Eg chill = cold but also relaxed

Question 11

Semantic shift

Answer 11

When an existing word changes its meaning, the old meaning is lost
Eg gay meant happy but now means homosexual

Question 12

Proper noun neologism

Answer 12

When something is named after a proper noun
Eg sandwich named after earl of sandwich

Question 13

Nonce words

Answer 13

Created for one occasion
Eg supercallifragilisticexpialidocious

Question 14

When do words stop being neologisms?

Answer 14

When they enter common usage
However hard to define what common usage is
As English doesn’t have an official standard dictionary

Question 15

Covid language change

Answer 15

COVID-19 is a blend of ‘coronavirus’, ‘disease’ and ‘2019’
Quickly established to prevent racial associations- seen in monkey pox being renamed mpox
Led to increase in use of words like ‘furlough’ ‘social distancing’ ‘self isolating’ ‘lockdown’
Technology played a key role- ‘zoom’
Led to verb ‘zooming’ - used even when not talking about platform Zoom, just generic video call terminology

Question 16

Eras of English

Answer 16

Old English - 5th century-12th century - Germanic language brought by Anglo Saxons
Middle English- 12th century-16th century - language of nobility French after Norman invasion
Early modern English- Shakespeare - standardisation began due to printing press - new words introduced by colonialism