Language change terminology Flashcards
Blends
parts of words are chopped off and put together to form a new word. eg frappe, smog
Acronym
word made up from first letters of a phrase, which is pronounced like a normal word. eg RADAR
Initialism
word made up from first letters of a phrase, which is pronounced as individual letters. eg FBI
Neologism
a new word
Narrowing
meaning becomes more specific over time
Broadening
meaning becomes less specific over time
Amelioration
meaning becomes positive
Pejoration
meaning becomes negative
Vowel shift
1300-1500
a change in pronunciation of all long vowel sounds
Accent levelling
people’s accents converge
Prescriptivism
language should be ordered and pure without variation
Descriptivism
language should be allowed to grow and change
Standardisation
the process in which conventional forms of a language are established and maintained
Borrowing
words borrowed from another language
Weakening
word that looses strength of original meaning
