changes in english: vocabulary Flashcards
(31 cards)
what is included in vocabulary?
lexis and semantics
how many words does the english language have?
650,000-1 million
what percentage of words in the english language are borrowed?
70%
what is borrowing?
the incorporation of words from other languages
why has english grown and changed so rapidly?
due to its global spread
what are ways of creating words?
blending compounding acronyms and initialisms
what is blending?
using parts of words to make a new one
what is compounding?
using two words to make a new one
what is an example of blending?
jeggings bromance
what is an example of compounds?
headache
what does it mean by compounded lexical term?
two words that are treated as one such as pole dancer
what is the functional theory?
that language changes because society does, language changes to fit its users
how does the future affect creation of words? modernisation
new ideas and objects are added to the vocabulary
what are two examples of objects that were added to the vocabulary (new inventions)?
cassette and cd (70/90)
what are two types of abbreviations?
initialisms and acronyms
what is an acronym?
something said as a word
what is an initialism?
cannot be said as a word only letters
how has morphology changed vocabulary>
thorugh morphemes, preix and suffix
what is an example of how prefix has adapted?
unfriend
what is an example of how suffixes have adapted?
hipsterism
what are the two types of semantic change of vocabulary>
amelioration and pejoration
what is amelioration?
words becoming more positive
what is pejoration>
words becoming more negative
historically what were perorated words associated with in terms of semantic meanings?
weaker social groups
