Language Change Flashcards
Why has the English Language needed to be standardised?
Due to English needing to be taken more seriously as a national language.
What is the English Language?
It is a hybrid language. Made up of different dialects which has resulted into a language that is highly inconsistent.
What is Prescriptivism?
The notion that language should be fixed, prescribing to a set of rules for language usage. Any shift being incorrect.
What did John Cheke(1500’s) do?
He claimed that if we kept borrowing language from Greek and Latin, then our language would eventually go bankrupt.
What did Thomas Wilson(Around 1553) do?
The Art of Rhetorique! He viewed the obscure borrowings from Latin and Greek as being pretentious and unnecessary.
What did Jonathan Swift(1712) propose?
Published a book. “A proposal for correcting, improving and ascertaining the English tongue”.
He wrote about his hatred for unnecessary contractions, polysyllabic words and shortness, also vagueness of language.
What did Samuel Johnson(1755) do?
“No dictionary of a living tongue can’t ever be perfect since while it is hastening to publication, some words are budding and some falling away“. Attempted to construct a dictionary, too many words coming and going.
Change from above.
Change from below.
Neosemy.
What did Robert Lowth(1762) do?
Published a book, “A short introduction to English grammar”. Originally designed this book to help assist his son with learning the more rigourous grammatical rules of Latin.
What did Lindley Murray(1795) do?
Produced a grammar guide, which was the most prolific of all. Murray’s grammar guide was published in 22 editions over 30 years.
Has work was heavily reliant on Lowth’s, where he suggested tendencies, Murray established rules.
All parts of a sentence should correspond with each other.
What is Descriptivism?
Where no judgement or negative attitude is imposed on language change, but an examination of language as it is and how it is used.
What did Jean Aitchinson do?
Created three metaphors in order to describe prescriptive anxieties around language change.
– Crumbling Castle.
– Damp Spoon.
– Infectious Diseases.
What did Bill Caxton(1476) do?
Brought the idea of the printing press to England.
This allowed the mass spread of language standardisation.
What did Charles Hockett propose?
That technological advancements have added words that stick within our lexicon.
What theory correlates with this?
The functional theory – the idea that language evolves to fit the needs of uses.
What did Joseph Priestly(1761) do?
In the preface to his “the rudiments of English grammar“, after the day more descriptive perspective.
– He believed it was “calculated to reform and fix a language“.
