Language Variation Flashcards
When was old English
450 - 1150
When was Middle English
1150 - 1500
When was Early Modern English
1500 - 1700
When was Modern English
1700 - 1900
When was Late Modern English
1900 - present
When was the Renaissance
1500 - 1650
What happened during the renaissance
Increase in art, science, medicine and culture. Huge influx of new words. Rise of literacy and desire to standardise
Why do many words contain silent letters
In the 16th century scholars tried to indicate history of words by altering spelling. E.g. ‘Debt’
When was the age of exploration
Late 16th century to early 17th century
What happened during the age of exploration
Loan words were introduced from other languages
When was Samuel Johnson’s dictionary published
1755
When was the internet invented
1970’s
What was a common inflection ending to make verbs past tense
“eth”
Why was a silent ‘e’ often used at the end of words
It presents a vowel that was formerly pronounced, but became silent between the Middle English period and the Early Modern English period. Sometimes from line justification in printing when blank blocks ran out
What three metaphors did Jean Aitchison use to describe prescriptivist views of language change
- Crumbling castle view
- Damp spoon syndrome
- Infectious disease assumption
Why can language not remain the same
Language change is natural, it only occurs when it needs to. Trying to keep language from changing, or trying to initiate change where it is not needed will never work.
INTRO for the essay
Keep it short. Establish the mode and what year both texts were produced in. Establish the topic and infer the differences between the two texts. E.g. ‘There are noticeable differences in context, purpose and audience between the two texts.
Damp spoon syndrome
When people are lazy and disrespectful of language. E.g. The growing trend of ‘g-dropping’.
Infectious disease assumption
Changes in language are like germs which spread and infect the language. For example, text language is always described as infecting our language.
Crumbling castle view
The English language is deteriorating and is beyond repair. The language used to be perfect and in a ‘golden age’ but is now disintegrating.
What are the different types of innovative lexical change (changing something which already exists)
1) Blending: When two existing words are fused to make a new one
2) Clipping: When a part of a words is removed, but the meaning is virtually the same
3) Compounding: When two existing words are put together as they are to create a new word
4) Conversion: The word class of an existing word is changed.
What are different types of inventive lexical change (creating something entirely new)
1) Neologism: Creating a brand new word
2) Borrowing: Words are taken from another language
3) Acronyms: Forming a word which is said as a word and is formed from the initials of what it is describing. E.g. SCUBA - self contained underwater breathing apparatus
4) Initialism: Forming a words which is said as the individual letters formed from the initials of what it is describing. E.g. BBC
5) Eponym: Forming a word based on a person’s name.