Language change research

Language change








Reasons for language change

• Individuals -Shakespeare helped to drive evolution of language and actually coined many new terms which we use today e.g. "accommodation", "bubble", "obscene", "lack-luster" and "premeditated"
• Technology - invention of the printing press in 1476 began to standardise language use
• Society - cultural changes and shifts such as the introduction of political correctness
• Foreign influence - Norman invasion, more recently the introduction of Americanisms
• Science- New inventions requiring new words
• Colonisation- Picking up words from different cultures when they're colonised
• Globalisation of trade - English becoming the global language of trade

Attitudes towards language change

• Prescriptivism – dictate how language should be used
• Want language to remain same and refrain from change
• Descriptivism – accept language change is inevitable and accept change

Words from other languages


Borrowings –

• words taken from foreign languages 
• E.g. ‘Judge’ from French and ‘Opera’ from Latin

Words formed from existing words 

Affixation –

• Adding affix (prefix or suffix) to an existing word - E.g. ‘Racism’ and ‘sexism’

Compounding –

• Two words are combined in their entirety to make a new word
• E.g. ‘Lap-top’ and ‘Happy-hour’

Blending –

• Two words parts are moulded together to form a new word, usually by adding the start of one word and the end of another
• E.g. ‘Smog’ – smoke and fog and ‘Motel’ – motor and hotel

Conversion –

• Changing of word class  - E.g. Noun to verb – ‘Text’ was noun now verb of ‘to text’

Words formed by shortening –


Shortening or abbreviation –

• Clipping part of a word
• E.g. Omnibus to ‘bus’ and Public house to ‘pub’

Words from proper names –

• Derived from names or places synonymous with the product
• Denim – place in France
• Sandwich – after Earl of Sandwich

Semantic change


Broadening -

•  Words keep their old meanings but gain new ones as well e.g. Mouse used to just mean the animal but you can now have a computer mouse

Narrowing

•  When words become more specific
• 'Meat' used to mean all foods but now just means the flesh of animals 

Amelioration

• When words become more positive in meaning
• 'pretty' meant sly or cunning in the middle ages but now means beautiful 

Pejoration

• Opposite of amelioration  

Idioms

• Formed from existing words but assume new meanings often as fixed frame forms
• Can only be interpreted by learning what the whole frame means
• e.g. 'over the moon' or 'in the dog house'