Language Change and Lexical Glossary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering linguistic change, word formation, major historical events, and language theories as detailed in the lecture notes.

Orthography

the part of language change that deals with letters and spellings of words.

Morphology

how the structure of words and their meanings have changed.

Archaic Inflection

Historical word endings used to indicate person, such as -est for the 2nd Person and -eth for the 3rd Person (e.g., cometh, goeth).

The Great Vowel Shift

A major linguistic event occurring in the late 1400s that changed the pronunciation of English vowels.

William Caxton

The individual who introduced the first printing press in 1476, aiding in the standardisation of spelling.

The Unfolding of Language (Guy Deutscher)

A theory suggesting that lexis is made for ease of use, expressiveness, or the mind's need for order and regular patterns.

Progress or Decay (Jean Aitchison, 1991)

A perspective challenging prescriptivist views by arguing that slang terminology does not cause language to fall apart.

The S-Curve Model (Chen, 1968)

A model that tracks the use, start, trending, and eventual obsolescence of a lexical item.

Theory of Lexical Gaps

The idea that gaps in the lexis exist which may be fulfilled by the coining of neologisms.

Prescriptive Syntax

A strict adherence to the expected rules of word structure within a sentence.

Descriptive Syntax

An approach to word structure that is open and describes how language is actually used rather than how it should be.

Archaism

The state of a word being old or archaic.

Etymology

The study of the origin of words, such as those derived from Greek or Latin.

Telescoping

The contraction of a phrase, a word, or part of a word.

Compounding

The process of putting two words together to form a new one, such as 'notebook'.

Clipping

A word formation process involving the shortening of longer words.

Blending

The joining of the beginning of one word to the end of another to create a new term.

Acronym

A new word formed from a mixture of initials.

Backformation

Decreasing the length of a word to form a new one, usually changing it from a noun to a verb. ( editor → edit)

Neologism

The creation of a new word from nothing, often used for advertising purposes.

Eponyms

Words that take on the name of the creator of a new object or thing.

Dictionary of the English Language (1755)

A landmark dictionary published by Samuel Johnson.

Cultural Transmission Theory

The idea that cultures may pass down views and language or specific alternatives from one generation to the next.

Random Fluctuation Theory (Charles Hockett)

The theory that words enter the lexis by accident, typos, mispronunciation, or coincidence.

Substratum Theory ( Labov)

A theory of language change that focuses on borrowing via interaction between different cultures.

graphology

has to do with the writing system of a language, as well as other visual elements on the page.

grammar

the rules of organising meaning in a language and how utterances should be structured.

phonology

the pronunciation of a word and sound patterns which affect the understanding of a word

pragmatics

how the context in which words and phrases are used affects their meaning

morphology

the structure of words

lexis

the lexis of a language

semantics

the meaning of words

syntax

the order of words in a sentence, is also a part of grammar

early modern English

between 1500-1700 CE → marked a change in pronunciation and the inclusion of European lexis and the lexis of latin and greek

old English

it was the main language until 1100 CE, used by the Anglo-Saxon settlers in Britain, its structure was very different to modern English.

Middle English

developed in about 1500CE, emerged after the Norman (French) invasion and this developed into early modern English.

late modern English

from 1700 to now, marked by significant changes in vocabulary due to the Industrial Revolution (1760) and the British Empire's global influence.