Language Change Flashcards
(43 cards)
1
Q
Old English period
A
700 CE
2
Q
Early Modern English period
A
1500 - 1800
2
Q
Middle English Period
A
1066 CE
2
Q
When was the Great Vowel Shift?
A
- Over a period of 200 years
- 14th to 18th century in England
3
Q
Late Modern English Period
A
1800 - now
4
Q
What was the Great Vowel Shift?
A
- a major phonological change in the pronunciation of the English language
- It marks the transition from Middle English to Early Modern English
- had a profound impact on the way vowels are pronounced today
5
Q
What is Derivation?
A
a new word is created by adding a prefix or suffix to an existing word, thereby changing its meaning or grammatical category
- Happy → Happiness
- Run → Runner
- Kind → Kindness
- Create → Creative
- Un- in “unhappy” (negative meaning)
6
Q
What is Coinage?
A
deliberate invention of a completely new word, often without any clear derivation from existing words
7
Q
What is Neologism?
A
-newly created words or phrases that emerge naturally through cultural or technological changes.
- Can come from existing words, blends, abbreviations, or borrowings.
8
Q
What are Eponyms?
A
- derived from the name of a person, place, or brand. They often honor the originator or the inventor
- Diesel - Named after Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the diesel engine.
- Narcissism - From Narcissus, a figure in Greek mythology who fell in love with his reflection.
9
Q
What is Conversion?
A
- process in which a word changes its grammatical category (such as from a noun to a verb or vice versa) without changing its form
- “Run” (verb) → “a run” (noun)
- Friend (noun) → To friend (verb)
10
Q
What are Acronyms?
A
11
Q
What is Compounding?
A
- word formation process in which two or more existing words are combined to create a new word
- Toothbrush (tooth + brush)
- Mother-in-law (mother + in + law)
- Check-in (check + in)
- Bittersweet (bitter + sweet)
12
Q
What is Blending?
A
- existing words are combined to create a new word
- form a shorter, new word that combines the meanings of the original words
- Brunch (breakfast + lunch)
- Motel (motor + hotel)
- Vlog (video + log)
13
Q
What is Coalescence?
A
- process in which two sounds come together to form a single sound. - now simplified pronunciation is often for easier or more efficient articulation
- “Gonna” (from “going to”)
- “Wanna” (from “want to”)
14
Q
What is Backformation?
A
- new word is created by removing an affix (a prefix or suffix) from an existing word, usually creating a new word of a different grammatical category
- Editor → Edit
- Hiker → Hike
- Shovel → Shovel (verb)
15
Q
What is Reduplication?
A
- a word or part of a word is repeated to create a new word or expression
- can serve various functions, such as intensifying meaning, forming plural or diminutive forms, or creating new words with different meanings
- Bye-bye (a casual form of farewell)
- Chit-chat (light, casual conversation)
- “Tick-tock” (the repetitive sound of a clock).
- “Mumbo-jumbo” has become a term for meaningless or confusing language.
16
Q
What is Borrowing?
A
- takes words, phrases, or other linguistic elements from another language
- This often happens when two cultures come into contact, whether through trade, migration, conquest, or other forms of interaction
- “Café” from French
- “Bungalow” in English, borrowed from Hindi,
- “Guitar” from Spanish
17
Q
Examples of nouns becoming verbs
A
- Google (noun) → To google (verb)
- Email (noun) → To email (verb)
18
Q
How did the verb ‘do’ emerge as axulliary?
A
- evolved from a main verb meaning “perform” to a grammatical auxiliary through language contact, grammatical simplification, and standardization.
- it clarified sentence structure and made English syntax more regular and consistent
19
Q
How did ‘thou’ and ‘thou’ disappear slowly?
A
- social changes, the rise of politeness norms, and the simplification of grammar
- universal adoption of “you” as a singular and plural form was driven by the need for a polite and consistent way of addressing others
20
Q
How did early modern english nouns become neuter?
A
- phonological changes, contact with Norman French, and the drive for linguistic simplification.
- grammatical gender markers disappeared, English transitioned to a natural gender system
20
Q
How did the ending ‘s’ replace ‘th’?
A
- Ease of Use: “-s” was simpler and more phonetically efficient.
- Social Mobility: Movement from northern to southern England increased exposure to the “-s” form.
- Printing and Standardization: The rise of London dialect as the standard promoted the “-s” ending.
20
Q
how did language become reliant on word order and not inflection for the function of individual words?
A
- phonological simplification, language contact, the need for communicative efficiency, and the natural reduction of redundant elements
21
what are archaisms?
- words that were once commonly used in a language but have become less common or obsolete over time
21
what is etymology?
- study of the origin and history of words, including how their forms and meanings have changed over time.
21
what is amelioration? (with an example)
22
what is pejoration? (with an example)
23
What is broadening? (with examples)
24
What is Narrowing? (with examples)
25
What is the Functional Theory?
- language changes and evolves to meet the needs of its users
- It emphasizes that changes in vocabulary and grammar happen primarily because of social, technological, or cultural shifts
26
What is the Cultural Transmission Theory?
- language is learned through social interaction rather than inherited biologically
- Since language is socially learned, it naturally evolves as cultures change
- static but constantly evolving
27
What is the Random Fluctuation Theory?
- language change occurs due to random variations or fluctuations in how individuals use language
- over time, gain momentum and become fixed parts of the language
- change can arise without intention or planning, simply through natural shifts in how language is used
28
What is the Theory of Lexical Gaps?
- languages sometimes lack specific words for certain concepts or objects, which creates "gaps" in the lexicon (vocabulary).
- gaps may be filled with loanwords, neologisms, or metaphors to meet the communicative needs of speakers
- how languages adapt to societal shifts, technological advances, and cultural influences
29
What is the Wave Model?
- changes in a non-uniform, wave-like pattern from a central point, influenced by geography and social factors
- how changes can affect different parts of a community at different times and in different ways, leading to variations in language across regions and social groups
30
What is the S curve Model?
- language change spreads in a predictable S-shaped curve, starting slowly, accelerating quickly, and then leveling off
- the speed of adoption over time, showing how change accelerates before eventually stabilizing
31
What is the Tree Model?
- illustrating the relationships between languages within a family
- showing how languages evolve and branch off from a common ancestor.
- is useful for understanding the historical development and diversification of languages
32
What is Progress or Decay?
- Progress: in language change views the evolution of language as a positive, improving process, leading to more efficient forms of communication
- Decay: sees language change as a negative development, often associating it with the loss of grammatical complexity, precision, or clarity
33
Name 3 features of French that had arrived and are used today. (1)
New classes of words ending in -ence (penitence), -ment (sacrament), -age (image), ty (majesty) and -ion (confession).
Terms of address ‘Mr, Mrs , Sir, and Madam’ are French
Feminine suffix -ess (actress) and the diminuitive suffix -et(te) (pullet)
34
When was the invention of the first printing press?
- 1476
- more people started writing books
35
when was the first English dictionary by Samuel Johnson published?
- 1755
- Samuel Johnson
36
What are obsolete words and give examples
- once commonly used in a language but are no longer in regular use or have fallen out of the language over time
- bedchamber, thou
37
When was the first American Dictionary published?
- Webster
- 1828
