Language Change Glossary Flashcards
What are ‘Acronyms’?
A lexicalised word is made up from the initial letters of phrase (e.g. RADAR)
What is ‘Amelioration’?
A word takes on a different, more positive meaning + gains status
What is ‘Back Formation’?
The removal of an imagined affix from an existing word (e.g. Editor became ‘edit’
What is meant by ‘Blend’?
Two words fusing to make a new one (e.g. smog; smoke + fog)
What is ‘Borrowing’?
Introduction of a word from one language to another
What is ‘Broadening’?
A word keeps its original meaning but acquires others
What is ‘Clipping’?
A new word is produced by shortening an existing one (e.g. edit from editor)
What is meant by ‘Compound’?
Combining separate words to create a new word, sometimes using a hyphen to link them (e.g. Size Zero, Man Flu, Carbon Footprint)
What is meant by ‘Conversion’?
A word changes its word class without affixation (e.g. Text - noun + verb)
What is meant by ‘Drift’?
Old meanings become forgotten, words take on new meanings according to relevant context
What is meant by ‘Eponym’?
Name of a person after whom something is named
What is meant by ‘Euphemism’?
Describing something unpleasant in a more pleasant manner
What are ‘Idioms’?
A speech form, or expression, that can’t be understood literally from the meanings of the individual parts
What are ‘Initialisms’?
A word made from individual letters, each being pronounced (e.g. CD, DJ)
What are ‘Metaphors’?
An abstract comparison that describes one thing as if it were another
What is ‘Narrowing’?
Word becomes more specific in meaning
What are ‘Neologisms’?
The creation of new words and expressions (coinage)
What is ‘Pejoration’?
A word takes on a different, more negative meaning and loses status
What are ‘Prefixes’?
Addition of bound morpheme to beginning of root word (e.g. mega, uber)
What is meant by ‘Proprietary Name’?
Name given to a product by one organisation becomes the commonly used name for the same product
What is meant by ‘Semantic Change’?
Occurs when words expands, contract and settle
What is meant by ‘Suffix’?
Addition of bound morpheme to end of root word; e.g. (radical)ising
What are ‘Synonyms’?
Different words that mean the same thing
What is meant by ‘Weakening’?
A word loses the strength of its original meaning
What is meant by ‘Accents’?
Distinctive manner of oral expression
What is ‘Americanisms’?
Aspects of our lexicon borrowed/adopted from American English
What is ‘Assimilation’?
Where the pronunciation of one phoneme is affected by an adjacent phoneme (e.g. “donchu”)
What is ‘Calligraphy’?
Specific, learned handwriting styles (often florid)
What is ‘Coinage’?
The creation of new terms
What is ‘Dialect’?
A regional lexicon
What is ‘Estuary English’?
Effect of London accents spreading through countries connected by the Thames
What is ‘Etymology’?
The history of words
What is ‘Eye Dialect’?
A way of spelling words that suggests a regional way of talking
What is ‘Graphology’?
The study of handwriting analysis
What is ‘Omission’?
When sounds disappear from words
What is ‘Orthography’?
The study of the nature + use of symbols in a writing system, correct or standardised spelling according to established usage in a given language
What is ‘Palaeography’?
The study of ancient forms of writing
What is ‘Phonology’?
The study of the sound system of a given language + the analysis + classification of its phonemes
What are ‘Prepositions’?
A word like at, to, in, over, etc. Prepositions usually come before the noun and give information about things like time, place, and direction
What are ‘Pronouns’?
A word like I, me, you, him, it, etc. Pronouns replace the noun
What is ‘Standardisation’?
The movement towards a prescriptive form of the English Language
What are ‘Superlatives’?
The degree of grammatical comparison that denotes an extreme or unsurpassed level/extent
What is ‘Syntax’?
The grammatical arrangement of words in sentences (word order)
What is ‘Typography’?
The design and planning of printing matter using type
