Language Change Context/Facts Flashcards
What is it called when people don’t like language change?
Prescriptivism
What is it called when people like language change?
Descriptivism
Name three things that Prescriptivists believe
- They believe that there should be a set of rules that people should follow in order to speak ‘properly’
- They believe that language decays as it changes
- They believe that language should be written in a certain way (Standard English)
Name three things that Descriptivists believe
- Language change is inevitable - a waste of time trying to stop it from happening
- They believe that different varieties of English should all be valued equally
- They believe change is progression
Name a descriptivist who critics Prescriptivism’s three language myths
Aitchinson
What is the three language myths?
Crumbling castle
Infectious Disease
Damp spoon
What does the crumbling castle myth mean?
The belief that English was on a great castle, but over time it crumbled and decayed
What does Aitchinson say about the crumbling castle myth?
It’s false because the English Language has never been perfect as it is always changing
What is the infectious disease myth?
Bad English is like a disease that spreads from person to person
What does Aitchinson say about the infectious disease?
Aitchison suggests that it’s correct that language spreads, but it is not a disease. Language change happens because people want it too.
What is the damp spoon myth?
It suggests that bad English sticks to people who are lazy and passive (puts the damp spoon back into the sugar bowl)
What does Atchinson say about the damp spoon myth?
Speaking ‘bad English’ is not lazy, for people who speak ‘bad English’ talk quicker.
Name a Prescriptivist
John Humphry’s
