Language Change: Lexis/Semantics
Revision mindmap on the lexis/semantics of language change.
- Created by: catt-jackson
- Created on: 04-02-14 22:03
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- Lexis/Semantics
- The English language is subjected to a perpetual flux and reinvention.
- Diachronic change.
- Changes which affect language over time.
- Synchronic change.
- Changes which happen in a short space of time.
- Diachronic change.
- Neologisms are formed everyday.
- Completely new words.
- Coinage.
- Words that are invented to name or label things.
- Coinage.
- Words from other languages.
- Borrowing.
- Words are taken from other languages.
- Borrowing.
- Words formed from existing words.
- Affixing.
- Words have prefixes and suffixes added to them.
- Prefixes and suffixes are usually from Latin.
- Compounding.
- Words are combined to form new, larger words.
- A hyphen was originally used, but over time these have diminished.
- Blends.
- Words are formed by parts of words being merged together.
- Conversion.
- The word class of an existing word changes.
- Affixing.
- Words formed by shortening.
- Abbreviation.
- A new word is formed by shortening an existing word.
- Back formation.
- A word is shortened to make a different word class than originally.
- Acronyms.
- Words are formed from the initials of letters of previous words.
- Initialisms.
- Words are shortened into their initials, however this does not make a new word.
- Words from names.
- Words are formed through names of people or places.
- Abbreviation.
- Completely new words.
- The English language is subjected to a perpetual flux and reinvention.
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