English Language - Language change

Aitchinson (1996) - descriptivist

She addressed some of the concerns that people articulate about language change:

•       Damp spoon – “A queasy distaste for the vulgarity of current usages”. This relates to what some people term a laziness about language usage, similar to putting the damp spoon into the sugar bowl

•     Crumbling castle – That language is eroding and there is no preservation of older forms

•         Infectious disease – We can “catch” careless or bad language usage from those around us

Guy Deutscher (2006) - descriptivist

-          Deutscher concludes that language is indeed changing, but certainly not for the worst, even If the word “erosion” might imply that

-          “forces of destruction”, where destruction and creation are intertwined when it comes to language

James and Lesly Milroy (criticism of Lynne Truss)

-          Examine the idea of the complaint tradition

-          Reflects the fact that there are always those who have complained about language use and change, and will continue to do so

Robert Lane Greene (2011)

-          Puts forward the idea of declinism which is that those who complain about language change and argue that language is deteriorating contribute to a notion of negative alteration

-          He also discusses sticklerism. This idea relates to those who insist on imposing their linguistic rules on others, and feel a need to correct the language of other people, instead of letting people interpret language in their own ways.