Language Change

Question 1

When did Caxton introduce the printing press to England?

Answer 1

1476

Question 2

When was the first bible published in English and what was it called?

Answer 2

1611 and King James Bible

Question 3

When was swifts proposal for an academy for English?

Answer 3

1712

Question 4

When was Samuel Johnson’s dictionary published?

Answer 4

1755

Question 5

When was Robert Lowths short introduction to English grammar published?

Answer 5

1762

Question 6

When did Noah Webster publish the first US dictionary?

Answer 6

1828

Question 7

When was the Oxford dictionary published?

Answer 7

1928

Question 8

When did the political correctness movement begin?

Answer 8

1960’s / 70’s

Question 9

What year did the Oxford dictionary go online?

Answer 9

2000

Question 10

Roughly how many words were in Samuel Johnson’s dictionary?

Answer 10

43,000

Question 11

When did the Anglo-Saxons invade?

Answer 11

5th Century

Question 12

What is an example of a word the Anglo-Saxons brought?

Answer 12

Son, daughter, cow, pig

Question 13

When did the Viking’s invade and bring old Norse?

Answer 13

8th/ 9th Century

Question 14

What is an example of a word the vikings brought?

Answer 14

Die, anger

Question 15

When did the Norman conquest happen and what language did it make dominant?

Answer 15

1066, and made French the dominant language

Question 16

What is an example of a word the Normans brought?

Answer 16

Battle, Jury

Question 17

What words did we get from Shakespeare?

Answer 17

Bandit, Lackluster and the phrase in a pickle

Question 18

What was the first English poem that was written down?

Answer 18

Beowulf

Question 19

What are Inkhorn terms?

Answer 19

Borrowed words from Latin and Greek

Question 20

How long did Samuel Johnson’s dictionary take?

Answer 20

9 years

Question 21

What is an example of a word in Johnson’s dictionary that is questionable?

Answer 21

Oats- grain given to horse but in Scotland supports the people
Trolmydames- a word of which I don’t know the meaning.

Question 22

How often is the Oxford dictionary updated?

Answer 22

Quarterly

Question 23

What is linguistic reflectionism?

Answer 23

The idea that language reflects the needs, views and opinions of its users

Question 24

What do dominant and muted groups suggest about language?

Answer 24

That those in power dominate language and they create a form of language that privileges themselves and excludes others

Question 25

What does linguistic determinism suggest?

Answer 25

That language determines and thoughts and views

Question 26

What is an example of linguistic determinism?

Answer 26

Eskimo words- see snow differently

Question 27

What is change from above?

Answer 27

Attempts by authority to impose a correct form of language on users

Question 28

What is change from below?

Answer 28

When users adapt language to suit their needs

Question 29

When did political correctness emerge?

Answer 29

1960’s/70’s

Question 30

What are 2 examples of words changed to be more politically correct?

Answer 30

Wheelchair bound —> wheelchair user Able bodied —> non disabled

Question 31

What is the argument of linguistic gatekeeping?

Answer 31

Who decides what language is politically correct? And the ‘standard form’

Question 32

Who came up with the euphemism treadmill?

Answer 32

Pinker

Question 33

What is the Euphemism treadmill idea?

Answer 33

- suggests political correctness pointless - overtime politically correct terms corrupted again

Question 34

What book did Aitchson write in 2013?

Answer 34

Progress or decay

Question 35

What are aitchsons 3 metaphors?

Answer 35

Damp spoon, crumbling castle and infectious disease

Question 36

What was the damp spoon metaphor and how did Aitchison argue against it?

Answer 36

That language change is due to laziness- she argues abbreviations and slang etc are more efficient

Question 38

What was the crumbling castle metaphor and how did Aitchison argue against it?

Answer 38

That language is crumbling and needs to be preserved- she argues that there never was a golden age of language

Question 39

What was the infectious disease metaphor and how did Aitchison argue against it?

Answer 39

That we ‘catch’ change from those around us- she argues people adopt new language because they want to

Question 40

What was David crystals metaphor?

Answer 40

Language is like a tidal wave

Question 41

What is the S curve theory?

Answer 41

The suggestion that language changes in an S curve pattern

Question 42

What is the substratum theory?

Answer 42

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

Question 43

What is superstratum?

Answer 43

When a language is imposed on English eg: Norman conquest

Question 44

What is Halliday’s functional theory (1961)?

Answer 44

The idea language changes according to the needs of its users

Question 45

When was the first text message and what did it say?

Answer 45

1992, Merry Christmas

Question 46

When was the WWW launched to the public?

Answer 46

1993

Question 47

When was the telephone introduced?

Answer 47

1876

Question 48

When was Facebook launched?

Answer 48

2004

Question 49

What are neologisms?

Answer 49

A newly coined word or expression

Question 50

What can neologisms be made?

Answer 50

By borrowing, blending, compounding, clipping, affixation and acronym