language change theories
- Created by: Lauralouise011101
- Created on: 25-02-20 18:16
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- Language change theorists
- The Queens English Society
- Aims to keep the language safe from perceived declining standards.
- Political correctness
- Aims to create a more tolerant, accepting, progressive society.
- Functional theory (Halliday)
- Language evolves to reflect multidimensional relationships in society (as they change so does the language.)
- Lexical gap theory
- Language gains new terms due to a convenient gap already existing. The gap is for a word that doesn't yet exist but it fits existing patterns of grammar and syntax. (there is a word for a child whos lost a parent but not a parent whos lost a child.)
- Random Fluctuation (Charles F. Hockett)
- Language changes due to random errors and events as a response of ever changing context of lang use and its users (causes: predicted text errors, slang, double negative words.)
- Reflectionism
- Language use reflects a persons way of thinking.
- Standardisation
- Variation of language decreases, moving back towards a standard form.
- Sapphire and whorf hypothesis.
- A persons use of language controls their views and behaviour.
- Declinism
- Language will always change whether punctuation and grammar is taught in schools or not.
- Semantic Reclamation
- Trying to overturn negative connotations by using language in new ways (e.g. slutwalkers)
- EMC theory (David Crystal)
- Tidal metaphor. (David Crystal)
- Language change is a natural process like the tide and not for the worse or the better.
- the evolution of lang in electronically mediated communication has changed the way people use language.
- Tidal metaphor. (David Crystal)
- Jean Aitchinson -- 3 metaphors
- 1) Damp spoon syndrome - language change comes down to laziness.
- 2) Crumbling castle view - English lang was once a perfect language and any change from that is negative.
- 3) Infectious disease syndrome - poor language use spreads through a population.
- Substratum theory
- Language changes due to contact with other languages or dialects. suggests one lang is lesser than the other. ( NY accent formed by hypercorrecting of English by Jewish and Italian immigrants.)
- Prescriptivism and Descriptivism.
- Prescriptivism is the attitude/ view that on form of lang is superior and any change is the language decaying.
- Descriptivism is the attitude/ view that language change is a natural process and is a sign of progression.
- Benign prescriptivism is the attitude that language should only change in certain instances to better the language and get rid of any derogatory or offensive terms.
- The Queens English Society
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