Language change theories Flashcards
Bailey’s wave model
new language when spread in close contact within the closest community either geographically or socially is more likely to take on the change rather than those further away from the change. less likely to adopt the new usage, and may become isolated
example - clapped (evaluative adjective) - commonly used among young people, but rejected by older people due to lack of understanding, and this may lead to feelings of exclusion
hockett’s theory of random fluctuation and cultural transmission
languages changes due to random errors and events such as freak weather or predictive text. therefore, it is not an example of progress or decay but is merely an indifferent evolution - not determined
example - lockdown (abstract noun) - became more frequently used in everyday vernacular due to the covid pandemic
> ‘h’ in the abstract noun ‘ghost’ came about as william caxton used flemish writers when using the printing press to bring things back to england. they were unsure as to how to spell the english word ‘gost’ and so added an extra ‘h’ as their native word was ‘gheest’.
Haliday’s functional theory
language changes according to the needs of its users. in other words, new inventions and concepts require new words to describe them, while older outdated concepts lead to losses in the english language.
example - concrete noun ‘ozempic’ has spiked in popularity recently due to social media promoting it is being a quick fix for weight loss.
Chat GPT
linguistic determinism - sapir-whorf hypothesis
weak version suggests that language influences thought but doesn’t have complete control over it so things acan become more accepted and people are more inclusive - reduces discrimination lots of words in the english language have been adapted to make them more gender neutral,
concrete noun ‘fireman’ to ‘firefighter’ and the removal of the suffix ‘-ess’ in ‘actress’ to make female actresses ‘actors’
Linguistic reflectionism
language is shaped by thoughts and is simply a reflection of the way that we are and what we think - this suggests there is no value in trying to shape or change the language
e.g. Euphemism Treadmill
algeo’s frequency of word formation types study
found that most common owrd formation types are composites where words are formed through derivation (taking an existing words and adding a prefix or suffix) and compounds (merging two pre-existing words together to make a new word).
derivation = contactless, cryptocurrency
compounds = smartphone, laptop
Damp spoon syndrome - Aitchison’s metaphor
the view that language change is caused by sloppiness or laziness.
e.g. he glottal stop at the end of words such as ‘street’ is often seen as an example of laziness, but the substitution of a /t/ for a glottal stop is not lazy and not random, as it is physically harder to create the glottal stop then to pronounce the /t/
crumbling castle (aitchison’s metaphors)
sees English Language as perfect and needs to be preserved and has been perfected to reach the pinnacle of splendour but over time it has changed.
Aitchison challenges this there is no indication of when this golden age of language was reached. furthermore, this view presupposes that a rigid system is better than a flexible system, but a flexible system is necessary to cope with changing social circumstances
infectious disease (aitchison’s metaphors)
view that suggests we ‘catch’ change from those around us and is brought in through social contact - aitchison criticises as people pick up the change because they want to so it shouldn’t be seen as a force we are powerless to resist
e.g. Eckertt’s jocks and burnouts study - jocks school - orientated, upwardly mobile whereas burnouts rebellious disengaged from school - jocks more standard forms, less slang, used language reflected furture orientated goals burnouts = nonstandard grammar, slang
Johnson’s dictionary - attitudes towards change
aimed to standardise and improve english language but later found that you can’t change English language as it is a natural process that can’t be controlled
David Crystal - tide metaphor
language is like a tide constantly changing, it ebbs and flows bringing in new words and taking out others in a natural, progressive way we can’t stop language from evolving
e.g. selfie, unfriend, period
old words - wherefore
grammar changes - they as singular pronoun which can now be used
Pinker’s Euphemism treadmill
people invent new ‘polite’ word to refer to emotionally laden or distasteful things, but the euphemism becomes tainted by association and the new one that must be found acquires its own negative connotations
concepts, not words, are in charge. we know we have reached equality and mutual respect when names for minorities stay put
e.g. water-closet’ becomes toilet (originally a term used for body care), which becomes ‘bathroom’, which becomes ‘rest room’, which becomes ‘lavatory’
what is the negative side effect of the constant shift toward politically correct language
many people, who are perhaps older and distant from university, government and media spheres, will still unintentionally use outdated words and find themselves labelled as bigots for innocently using passe terms like ‘crippled’ or ‘oriental’
Trask
language change quick process and could cause misunderstanding between children and grandparents so language needs to be controlled
