Language Theories

Question 1

Functional theory

Answer 1

Language changes to suit the needs of its users eg. Neologisms such as ‘brexit’

Question 2

Reflectionism

Answer 2

Language reflects society

Question 3

Determinism

Answer 3

People think the way they do because of what they hear

Question 4

McWhorter

Answer 4

Texting isn’t writing, writing is more formal, text is fingered speech, structural decline, lol has now become a mark of empathy, lol= pragmatic particle, texting is a whole new language

Question 5

Great vowel shift

Answer 5

15th to 18th century, different pronunciation of the same word eg. Route, didn’t happen overnight

Question 6

Prescriptivist

Answer 6

Language should contain rules

Question 7

Descriptivist

Answer 7

Language should be free

Question 8

Crystal

Answer 8

All living languages change, because people are changing all the time language changes to

Question 9

S curve theory

Answer 9

Language changes in an s shape

Question 10

Wave theory

Answer 10

Forms of language spreads from its region of origin and becomes less relative as it expands further from its region

Question 11

Political correctness

Answer 11

Use of alternative words to avoid offence

Question 12

Declinism

Answer 12

The idea that language is on a decline

Question 13

Celtic period

Answer 13

Declined due to no writing system, period 400 eg man daughter

Question 14

Normans

Answer 14

1050 10,000 new words, eg farewell

Question 15

Affixation

Answer 15

Prefix adds to the start eg pre, suffix add to end eg able

Question 16

Conversion

Answer 16

Word crosses word class without changing eg I swim I go for a swim

Question 17

Johnson’s dictionary

Answer 17

1755 first major dictionary’s gave rules

Question 18

Gutenberg

Answer 18

Printing press 1440

Question 19

Caxton

Answer 19

1476 printing press brought to England

Question 20

Lowth

Answer 20

1762 introduction to grammar

Question 21

1884

Answer 21

First Oxford dictionary

Question 22

Spelling errors=

Answer 22

Orthographic irregularities

Question 23

Alphabet

Answer 23

Introduced by Romans before being translated into Germanic

Question 24

Aitchison

Answer 24

Attitudes towards language changes, damp spoon- people are lazy, crumbling castle- language is like a castle that needs preserving and shouldn’t change

Question 25

Infectious disease

Answer 25

Aitchison, poor language use is a disease

Question 26

Aitchison

Answer 26

Descriptivist but these metaphors reflect societies views

Question 27

Crumbling castle response

Answer 27

Aitchison questions whether English has ever been perfect

Question 28

Damp spoon response

Answer 28

Aitchison says lazy language is only drunken speech

Question 29

Infectious disease response

Answer 29

Aitchison believes they aren’t forced to use informal language but use it because they want to and for efficiency

Question 30

Labov

Answer 30

The social significance of English in New York

Question 31

What did labov find

Answer 31

The use of the postvocalic R related to social class