Language Change

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Lexicon
The vocabulary of a language
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Political Correctness
Words or phrases used to replace those that are deemed offensive
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Overt Prestige
Higher status for the use of Standard English or Received Pronunciation
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Covert Prestige
High status for speakers who choose not to adopt standard language
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Borrowing/Loan Word
The introduction of a word from another language (Can be anglicised or non-anglicised)
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Eponym
The name of a person after whom something is named (e.g. Sandwich)
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Proprietary Names
The name given to a product by one organisation becomes commonly used for all products of the same type (e.g. Tampax/Kleenex)
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Acronym
A word made up form the initial letters of a phrase being pronounced as one word (e.g. LASER/SWAT)
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Initialism
A word made up form the initial letters of a phrase each being pronounced separately (e.g. CD/DVD)
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Clipping
A new word produced by shortening an existing word (e.g. Edit from Editor)
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Conversion
When a word changes its word class (e.g. Google is a noun and a verb)
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Compound
Creating one new word by combining two separate words; often linked by a hyphen (e.g. Man-flu)
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Blend
Two words being fused to make a new word (e.g. Smoke + Fog = Smog)
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Archaic
A word which is rarely used and seems dated
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Obsolete
A word which is no longer in use
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Drift
The process of linguistic change over a period of time
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Amelioration
A word takes on a different more positive meaning (e.g. Pretty used to mean sly but now means attractive)
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Pejoration
A word takes on a different, more negative meaning (e.g. Idiot used to mean a private citizen but now means stupid)
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Weakening
A word loses the strength of its original meaning (e.g. Soon used to mean immediately but now means in a short while)
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Narrowing
A word becomes more specific in its meaning (e.g. Meat used to mean any food but now means flesh)
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Broadening
A word keeps its original meaning but also acquires new ones (e.g. Place used to only mean a broad street but now also means any area)
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Metaphor
A word can acquire new meanings because it is used metaphorically (e.g. Bug can mean an insect, a computer virus, an illness or annoying someone)
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Euphemism
A more pleasant way of describing something unpleasant (e.g. 'Popped her clogs' instead of died)
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Idiom
A expression that cannot be understood literally but does have its own meaning (e.g. 'pull your socks up' means try harder)
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Emoticons
Online means of showing facial expressions (e.g. :P or :D)
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Influential power
Power used to persuade or influence others
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Instrumental power
Power used to maintain and enforce authority
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Omission
When sounds disappear from a word (e.g. Hannin' instead of Hanging)
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Assimilation
The pronunciation of one phoneme is affected by an adjacent phoneme (e.g. dohnchu instead of don't you)
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Informalisation
The way in which language is becoming increasingly informal in all areas of society
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Received Pronunciation
The prestige accent commonly associated with the upper classes
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Divergence
When a persons speech becomes more individualised and less like that of other participants in a converstion
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Convergence
The adaptation of speech to reflect the speech of other participants in a conversation
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Glottal Stops
When the 't' is dropped from a word (e.g. Bur'on instead of Burton)
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Dialect Levelling
Distinctions between different accents and dialects become less apparent
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Theorist Fairclough - Conversationalism
Shifting boundaries between written and spoken discourse and a rising prestige for spoken language
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Theorist Freeborn - The Incorrectness View
All accents are incorrect compared to Standard English and Received Pronunciation
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Theorist Freeborn - The Ugliness View
Some accents don't sound nice or carry negative stereotypes or connotations (e.g. The Birmingham accent sounds uneducated)
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Theorist Freeborn - The Impreciseness View
Some accents are 'lazy', such as Estuary English, where sounds are omitted or changed
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Eye Dialect
Spelling words to reflect accent
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Theorist Roseware - Estuary English
The effect of London accents spreading through adjoining counties along the Thames
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Prescriptivism
The belief that there is a correct way to use language
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Descriptivism
The belief that any language is acceptable and that language will inevitably evolve and change
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Theorist Aitchison - Damp-Spoon Syndrome
The belief that language changes because people are lazy
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Theorist Aitchison - Crumbling Castle View
The belief that there is one perfect way to use language and it must be preserved
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Theorist Aitchison - Infectious Disease Assumption
The belief that bad use of language is caught like a disease from those around us and that we should fight it
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Words or phrases used to replace those that are deemed offensive

Back

Political Correctness

Card 3

Front

Higher status for the use of Standard English or Received Pronunciation

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

High status for speakers who choose not to adopt standard language

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

The introduction of a word from another language (Can be anglicised or non-anglicised)

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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