Language Change Flashcards
When did Caxton introduce the printing press to England?
1476
When was the first bible published in English and what was it called?
1611 and King James Bible
When was swifts proposal for an academy for English?
1712
When was Samuel Johnson’s dictionary published?
1755
When was Robert Lowths short introduction to English grammar published?
1762
When did Noah Webster publish the first US dictionary?
1828
When was the Oxford dictionary published?
1928
When did the political correctness movement begin?
1960’s / 70’s
What year did the Oxford dictionary go online?
2000
Roughly how many words were in Samuel Johnson’s dictionary?
43,000
When did the Anglo-Saxons invade?
5th Century
What is an example of a word the Anglo-Saxons brought?
Son, daughter, cow, pig
When did the Viking’s invade and bring old Norse?
8th/ 9th Century
What is an example of a word the vikings brought?
Die, anger
When did the Norman conquest happen and what language did it make dominant?
1066, and made French the dominant language
What is an example of a word the Normans brought?
Battle, Jury
What words did we get from Shakespeare?
Bandit, Lackluster and the phrase in a pickle
What was the first English poem that was written down?
Beowulf
What are Inkhorn terms?
Borrowed words from Latin and Greek
How long did Samuel Johnson’s dictionary take?
9 years
What is an example of a word in Johnson’s dictionary that is questionable?
Oats- grain given to horse but in Scotland supports the people
Trolmydames- a word of which I don’t know the meaning.
How often is the Oxford dictionary updated?
Quarterly
What is linguistic reflectionism?
The idea that language reflects the needs, views and opinions of its users
What do dominant and muted groups suggest about language?
That those in power dominate language and they create a form of language that privileges themselves and excludes others
What does linguistic determinism suggest?
That language determines and thoughts and views
What is an example of linguistic determinism?
Eskimo words- see snow differently
What is change from above?
Attempts by authority to impose a correct form of language on users
What is change from below?
When users adapt language to suit their needs
When did political correctness emerge?
1960’s/70’s
What are 2 examples of words changed to be more politically correct?
Wheelchair bound —> wheelchair user
Able bodied —> non disabled
What is the argument of linguistic gatekeeping?
Who decides what language is politically correct? And the ‘standard form’
Who came up with the euphemism treadmill?
Pinker
What is the Euphemism treadmill idea?
- suggests political correctness pointless
- overtime politically correct terms corrupted again
What book did Aitchson write in 2013?
Progress or decay
What are aitchsons 3 metaphors?
Damp spoon, crumbling castle and infectious disease
What was the damp spoon metaphor and how did Aitchison argue against it?
That language change is due to laziness- she argues abbreviations and slang etc are more efficient
What was the crumbling castle metaphor and how did Aitchison argue against it?
That language is crumbling and needs to be preserved- she argues that there never was a golden age of language
What was the infectious disease metaphor and how did Aitchison argue against it?
That we ‘catch’ change from those around us- she argues people adopt new language because they want to
What was David crystals metaphor?
Language is like a tidal wave
What is the S curve theory?
The suggestion that language changes in an S curve pattern
What is the substratum theory?
That new language speakers will learn it imperfectly and pass that version on to others when different forms of language come into contact with english
What is superstratum?
When a language is imposed on English eg: Norman conquest
What is Halliday’s functional theory (1961)?
The idea language changes according to the needs of its users
When was the first text message and what did it say?
1992, Merry Christmas
When was the WWW launched to the public?
1993
When was the telephone introduced?
1876
When was Facebook launched?
2004
What are neologisms?
A newly coined word or expression
What can neologisms be made?
By borrowing, blending, compounding, clipping, affixation and acronym
