define diachronic change?
the historical development of language
define prescriptivism?
the notion that language should be fixed, prescribing to a set standard of rules for language usage, with any shift away from these rules or standards being seen as incorrect.
define descriptivism?
where no judgement or negative attitude is imposed on language change, but an examination of language as it is and how it is used.
define synchronic change?
the study of language change at a particular moment in time.
Why is language changing?
- we require language to express what is going on around us, and that often means that we need to invent new words to describe new things and new experiences.
- language changes because the way we use it, and our experiences of the world, is constantly evolving and the language we use needs to keep up with these developments
- technology has greatly influenced language change
what are two common ways of creating new words?
acronyms and initialisms are a common way of creating new words.
(FOMO fear of missing out)
- it is quicker and easier to read to send information quickly
5 different English’s over time?
and which century they were used in?
Old English 5th century
Middle English 11th century
Early modern English 15th century
Modern English 18th century
Present-day English 20th century
What created Old English used in the 5th Century?
Before English, the languages of Britain were Celtic. English developed from the speech of the Angles, Jutes and Saxons (Anglo-Saxon). Viking raids began in 793, continuing until the beginning of the 11th century. Both Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse had a significant influence on the English language, with vocabulary drawn from both. Latin was regarded as the language of the highly regarded civilisation, and it has remained a hugely influential part of the formation of English from this time onwards. The different areas of settlements resulted in different dialects. As English was largely a phonetic language at this time, it meant that there was little consistency in written language.
What created Middle English used in the 11th Century?
The Norman (French) invasion (1066) is a significant event in the history of English. French was the verbal language of the court and administration, while Latin remained important in written documentation, especially by the church. English came to prominence towards the end of the Middle English period with writers such as Chaucer choosing to write in English rather than in French. Dialectal differences remained with marked differences around the country.
What created Early Modern English used in the 15th Century?
Caxton introduced the printing press from Europe and printed many works in English, helping to contribute to the establishment of a standard form of English, using the South East dialect as the basis for this new standard. The Early Modern English period saw growing interest and pride in English as a language with many choosing to write in English: Shakespeare produced his work; James I commissioned the Authorised Version of the Bible.
What created Modern English used in the 18th Century?
The English language had grown at an incredible rate, with words borrowed from Latin, Greek and around the world. Grammarians began to examine the structure and grammar of the language to establish patterns in the ways that people used language, which in turn led them to propose correct ways of speaking and writing.
What created Present-day English used in the 20th Century?
English has continued to develop and the influence of the media, technology and travel has helped to establish English as a global language.
How was latin reintroduced after the romans left?
Latin too has had a significant influence on the formation of English, from early Roman settlement in A.D. 43, to renewed focus on Latin in religious, intellectual and cultural contexts throughout the linguistic periods.
What is a cognate?
(of a word) having the same linguistic derivation as another (e.g. English father, German Vater, Latin pater)
When did Chaucer write?
Key features of Chaucers writing?
Middle English 1300 ish
(He attacked religion mainly Catholics)
- object fronting
- closed class words are the same
- French vocabulary
- e endings not silent - But vestigial morphological ending(s) (where used to have agreement)
- -en was the third person plural ending (children, oxen, women, men)
- inconsistent spelling (no dictionary)
- lots of glottal and fricatives
- nouns come before adjective
When did Shakespeare write?
1500 ish
Early modern English
Tyndales bible significance?
1500s
key figure in protestant reformation with his belief that everyone should have access to the bible
he was the first person to translate it directly from the Greek and Hebrew texts
When did Johnson write?
(Dictionary)
1750
When did Austen write?
early 1800
When did William Wordsworth write?
late 1700
When did Charles Dickens write?
1850s ish
When did Virginia Weolf write?
early 1900
When did George Orwell write?
1950s
What words are the same in speech today and in middle English?
Closed class words in Old English and Middle English (us, on, of, and, to) same as now
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power of persuasion14
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verbs12
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power of storytelling44
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power of information4
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pronouns58
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adjectives10
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determiners11
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spoken language features28
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mode/ register40
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functions and form9
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speech acts14
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nouns10
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tense16
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lexical relationships21
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lexical formation and change18
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phonetics33
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sentence structure29
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post modification8
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discourse/ humour/ politeness/ cohesion37
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adverb8
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Functional grammar- theme and cohesion15
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Theories of CLA14
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Child language acquisition59
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Phonological processes (child language acquisition)21
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Language diversity theories126
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language diversity47
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Language change70
