Technological influence of language change Flashcards
(18 cards)
What does Gretchen McCulloch suggest about writing ?
It has become a vital conversational part of our ordinary lives
Why does McCulloch believe internet writing is important?
Because it is unedited/ unfiltered and more spontaeous
What are examples of informal spoken speech?
conversations, talking to yourself
What are examples of informal written text?
Texts, chats, social media, diaries and notes
What are examples of formal spoken speech?
Speeches, radio, tv, acting
What are examples of formal written text?
Books, articles, websites
Does McCulloch believe English is always the same?
No, she says “you never truly step into the same English twice”
Which other linguists does McCulloch refer to?
Labov, Milroy and Herring/paolillo
What do Labov, Milroy and Herring all link to?
Gender and language change
What does Labov suggest about gender and language change
90% of linguistic change is led by women
What does Herring and Paolillo suggest about language change and gender?
They first thought that there was a gender difference but it was actually a genre difference: men mainly wrote topic based blogs and women write diary style blogs
What did Milroy’s Belfast study find in regard to language change and gender?
Women lead language change due to wider contact with people from other social classes
What did Labov’s Martha’s vineyard study find in contrast to other findings regarding gender with language change?
Men lead on phonological change (sound change) because they felt like they were being threatened by tourists
What does McCulloch argue in regard to social groups and language change?
bigger loose-knit cities cause more change to language in comparison to smaller close-knit communities
Why has English changed more drastically than other languages
Because Britain has been invaded so many times by different people so close-knit family traditions aren’t as strong as they might have been
How does the internet make language change spread faster?
Because it leads to more weak ties: you can be aware of people who you don’t see anymore as well as get to know people you would not have met otherwise
What is an example of language change spreading faster through the use of internet?
Twitter increases language innovation more than Facebook because Twitter encourages you to communicate with people you didn’t know otherwise
