English Language: Language Change Theories, Concepts and Ideas

Who was David Crystal

A descriptivist who used the sea and tides to describe language change in 1999.

What did David Cystal’s metaphor suggest?

Language changes can go back and forward but it is a cycle so it is impossible to stop change.

Who wrote the first official dictionary of the English language and when?

Samuel Johnson in 1755

What were Johnson’s aims for the first dictionary?

He wanted to prescribe spellings and form. He wanted to correct the ‘errors and mistakes’ in the language.

Which spellings did Johnson favour for the dictionary?

He favoured traditional spellings of the East of England.

Who published ‘A Short Introduction to English Grammar’ and when?

Robert Lowth in 1762

What were Lowth’s aims for ‘A Short Introduction to English Grammar’?

It attempted to standardise the use of English grammar while also advising on its ‘correct’ and ‘proper’ usage.

What did Lowth use to base his rules on for ‘A Short Introduction to English Grammar’?

The rules of the book reflected those of Latin

Was Lowth’s ‘A Short Introduction to English Grammar’ successful?

It was very successful and used in education in the early 20th century. It was popularly used to distinguish from Lower classes.

What was Martin Janssen’s theory of lexical gaps in 2012?

Where words should exist but shouldn’t. Often relates to words from other languages.

Who wrote the functional view/ theory?

Aitchison

What does functional view/ theory suggest?

Suggests that language changes to meet the needs of users.

What is the alternative name for Linguistic determinism?

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

Is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis accepeted?

No, it has been largely disproved.

What does the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggest?

It suggests that grammatical and verb structures of a person’s language influences how they view the world.

Why is linguistic determinism also know as the Sapir-Whorf theory?

Due to the work of Edward Sapir in 1929, furthered by Benjamin Whorf in later years.

What does lexical gap theory suggest?

It suggests that the lack of words in a particular language for something which exists in another would imply different perspectives of the world.

Who came up with Random fluctuation theory and when?

Charles Hockett in 1958.

What does Random Fluctuation theory suggest?

It proposed a different way of looking at the emergence of new words. Saying that language changes can occur due to random errors or events.

Where, when and by whom was complaint theory first proposed?

In ‘Authority in Language’ by James Milroy and Lesley Milroy in 1985.

What is the complaint tradition?

It traces back to when Caxton selected the South East Midland area of Britain to represent standard English for the printing press. This led commentators to critique what they determined as improper language use.

Who wrote ‘You Are What You Speak’ and when?

Robert Lane Greene in 2011

What did Greene suggest by the term declinism in his book ‘You Are What You Speak’?

He put forward the idea of declinism. This suggests that those who complain about language change and argue that language is deteriorating contribute to a notion of negative alteration.

What did Greene mean the term sticklerism in his book ‘You Are What You Speak’?

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.