Week 10 Flashcards
1
Q
Language Evolution and change:
Why do speech pathologists need this knowledge?
A
- Inherent to understanding how language is the acceptance that languages undergo change
- Forces us to recognize some of the causes of language change; such as colonialism, nationalism, globalism and to reflect on the influence of history, economics, politics and society on language
2
Q
The history of English language:
A
- English language brought to Britain by the Anglos, Jutes and Saxons who derived from southern Denmark and Northern Germany
- Roots of English is related to both German and Danish as well as Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, and Icelandic, known collectively as Germanic Languages
- English as a Germanic languages
- Genetic language
- Protolanguages of English
- Found in words of language
- Protolanguage: Root language
- Genetic roots to language
- Indo-European languages traced way back as there are genetic groups between this and English
- Aus Indigenous are different, similar to Asian languages
Some languages have no genetic relatives (isolate language e.g. Japanese, Korean)
3
Q
Phonetic change
A
- Most common change that occurs to the sounds of language is reductive
- This entails sounds of language being assimilated into other sound, resulting in the overall loss of a sound
- Imperfectus vs imperfect
- Intactus vs intact
- Impingere vs impinge
- Inducere vs induce
4
Q
Morphological change:
A
- English has experienced significant morphological change
- Historically, Latin words contained multiple affixes which contributed significantly to grammatical meaning
- In modern English however, grammatical meaning is derived more so from words (proposition, determiners)
- Latin: Adehaesit uni civium regionis illius (more reliance on affixes)
- Affixes have also been added to English language overtime e.g. Dom: Kingdom, startdom
- Affixes are added
- Suffix has been added in modern times
5
Q
Syntactic change:
A
- English language has undergone changes to its syntactic (grammatical) structure
- For example, modern English (as it is used today) is distinguished by the Subject Verb Object sentence structure which differs from Early Modern and Middle English sentence structures
- Early Modern: Then saw James that ship
Modern: James saw that ship
6
Q
Semantic change
A
- The meaning of words in language also change
- Widening of meaning e.g. transpire has experiences a broadening definition
- Narrowing of meaning e.g. meat has experienced a narrowing of definition
Reinterpretation of meaning e.g. want has changed from meaning ‘lack’ to modern day use of desire
7
Q
English is characterized by words from many languages:
A
- A common feature of language is the large number of words that are borrowed from another language
- This has resulted from being conquest with incoming powers bringing with them new words, ideas, systems and technologies
- Words have also been borrowed and loaned through trade and the exchange of goods, services and ideas
- The history of Britain has led to the English language containing loan words from Latin, Greek, French, German etc.
- Dutch: Cruise, deck, yacht
- Italian: Concerto, solo, soprano
- Spanish: canyon, rodeo, lasso
- Chinese: Ketchup, tea
- Russian: Vodka
- Indigenous: Kangaroo, billabong
Colonial ships sending out different languages
8
Q
Colonialism and language loss:
A
- Colonial period (15th-20th century) saw European powers (notably France, England, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands) expand across the globe in search of new land and resources
- A marked and bloody period of world history whereby colonial subjects were subjugated and exploited for their land, resources and labor
- This period led to significant language loss of local and indigenous languages: Illness and disease, wars and violence, policies and governance systems, religious missionaries
- Particular indigenous language loss
- War: destruction of culture ruined languages associated
- Colonizers brought their own languages and Indigenous were forced or suffer consequences, coercion
Religious missionaries in European expansion bough new technology and social beliefs and books in English, so to be able to read them they had to learn English to take part In the benefits of the missionary
9
Q
Nationalism and language loss:
A
- Nationalism is premised upon the concept of a nation-state and of a shared identity between members of the group
- In order to achieve a sense of community between individuals, the imagined nation needs to unify different groups of society
- As part of the process of unification came the rise of language unification, a nationalizing language
- Commonalities amongst people
- Creates a nation of a shared identity
- Unifying and othering/excluding those who choose not to assimilate with the national identity
- A national language became important to be able to legitimize and form nations
- Indigenous had to shift their language for societal benefits
Principle of one national languages detriments indigenous languages around the world
10
Q
Globalism and language loss:
A
- Globalism is the process of increased connectivity and integration between people, nations, institutions, financial and systems, ideas and cultural practices
- Continuing advances in travel and technology have made the transfer of information and contact between communities easier and faster than ever before
- Access to global economic and cultural marketplaces is dependent upon use of global languages (such as English, Mandarin, Spanish). The result has seen Indigenous Language speakers shift towards used of global languages
- Transfer of information easy
- Global marketplace: Favors western practices/Global languages (English, French, Mandarin)
- Social and economic benefits for a nation to learn these
- However, it shifts global languages for Indigenous languages,
11
Q
The future of languages:
A
- Colonial governance systems facilitated the documentation of Indigenous languages
- Civic nationalism has led to a resurgence in Indigenous language preservation
- Globalism has provided the tools of the internet, making language documentation, connection to communities an awareness-raising easier than ever before
12
Q
What is the great vowel shift?
A
- The great vowel shift: Phonetic change that effected early modern English. Phonetic placement of long vowels changed, resulting in major change in vowel pronunciation
- A similar vowel shift can also be seen in Australian English today
- Long vowels are made high in the mouth, dipthong sounds were created
- Evolution and change is inherent
Languages are always changing
13
Q
Language loss: New information
A
- Old English has changed and replaced
- Endings were lost
- Complex inflections
- French conquest resulted in French influence
- Grammar became simpler
- Shakespeare’s influence
- Modern: American influence, technology, globalism
- Great vowel shift: Raising of long vowels (monothong) Dipthongs could not be raised further so became two vowel articulations. Influenced by society, French
