language change knowledge organiser

Question 1

coinage/neologisms

Answer 1

creation of new words that enter everyday use in our language

Question 2

archaic language

Answer 2

when words fall out of use and become obsolete

Question 3

borrowing

Answer 3

words taken from other languages to expand our own

Question 4

scientific process

Answer 4

medicine, science, and technology have led to the evolution of our language

Question 5

affixation

Answer 5

new prefixes and suffixes are added to existing words

Question 6

compounding

Answer 6

when a new word is created by combining two words to create one, usually with a hyphen

Question 7

blending

Answer 7

when two separate words are actually merged together

Question 8

clipping

Answer 8

when a word drops certain syllables to create an abbreviation

Question 9

initialism

Answer 9

the first letter of the word stands for the word itself

Question 10

acronyms

Answer 10

the first letters of words are combined to create a new word

Question 11

amelioration

Answer 11

develops a positive meaning over time

Question 12

pejoration

Answer 12

develops a negative meaning over time

Question 13

broadening

Answer 13

develops a broader meaning over time

Question 14

narrowing

Answer 14

develops a narrow meaning over time

Question 15

great vowel shift

Answer 15

between 1700 and 1900 the long vowel sounds in words became shorter, this helped articulation

Question 16

external change

Answer 16

outside influences have shaped the development of the language

Question 17

internal change

Answer 17

internal changes occur to promote the need for simplification and ease of articulation

Question 18

technology

Answer 18

this has shaped the creation of new words, industry, scientific advancement and inventions have added to new words entering the dictionary

Question 19

caxton printing press

Answer 19

1476 - william caxton and the printing press led to the standardisation process

Question 20

standardisation

Answer 20

a gradual process wherein the east midland dialect was selected as the standard form which led to the creation of grammar guides and style manuals

Question 21

diachronic

Answer 21

how language has evolved over time

Question 22

asynchronic

Answer 22

how the language exists at one point in time

Question 23

prescriptivism

Answer 23

restrict variation, control changes, impose standardisation, reject non-standard

Question 24

descriptivism

Answer 24

describe variation, record change, avoid interference and understand use in context

Question 25

functional theory

Answer 25

idea that language changes in response to context and needs of users

Question 26

lexical gaps

Answer 26

words and usages that are not currently used to predict the path that language change may take

Question 27

random fluctuation

Answer 27

charles hockett - random error and events can impact on the language systems

Question 28

substratum theory

Answer 28

contact with other languages through different speakers can influence the language

Question 29

wave and s curve

Answer 29

part of the trend to see language change as an organised process, chen argued that change is taken up at a certain rate by users, bailey argued that geographical distance has an impact on language change

Question 30

determinisim and reflectionism

Answer 30

sapir whorf hypothesis:
determinisim - lanaguge determines thought
reflectionism - language reflects thoughts

Question 31

euphemism treadmill

Answer 31

pinker - euphemisms devolve into a taboo word themselves

Question 32

crumbling castle

Answer 32

aitchison - change is disintigrating the structure of the language

Question 33

infectious disease

Answer 33

aitchison - change is infecting the language like a virus

Question 34

damp spoon

Answer 34

aitchison - change is creating laziness

Question 35

‘swimming with the tide of language change’
david crystal

Answer 35

“there is no predictable changes that are taking place. they are just that: changes.”

Question 36

‘accidence will happen’
oliver kamm

Answer 36

“pedants are loud, numerous and indignant. they are convinced that standards in english usage are falling, and they blame schools and the media for tolerating this alleged deterioration. the outcome, so these purists maintain, is linguistic barbarism, in which slang, sloppiness and text-speak supplant english grammar. don’t believe it. if there is one language that isn’t endangered, it’s english. the language is changing because that’s what a living language does”

Question 37

‘the unfolding of language’
deutscher

Answer 37

“of all mankind’s manifold creations, language must take pride of place. without language, we could never have embarked on our ascent to the unparalleled power over all other animals, and even over nature itself.”

Question 38

‘the language wars’
hitchings

Answer 38

the development of the dictionary reflected johnson’s own changing attitude to english. when he began to work on the project, he believed he could embalm the language, yet by the time he completed it he was conscious of the necessary mutability of english.

Question 39

‘political correctness: a history of semantics and culture’
hughes

Answer 39

“nevertheless, it (dictionary) has had a major influence on what is regarded as “acceptable” or “appropriate” in language, ideas, behavioural norms, and values”

Question 40

‘the blank slate’
pinker

Answer 40

“people invent new words for emotionally charged referents, but soon the euphemism becomes tainted by association”