VCE English Language 2025 Unit 3 AOS 1: English Across Time SAQ SAC Revision

What is commonization?

When a proper noun enters the general lexicon as a common noun. Example ‘Band-aid’ is now any adhesive bandage.

What is an archaism?

An old or old-fashioned expression, such as ‘merry’, or ‘jolly’.

What is obsolescence?

The loss of lexical items from a language. The word ‘mickle’ used to mean much or great.

What is a broadening of denotation?

The expansion of contexts in which a word can appear. ‘Holiday’.

What is a narrowing of denotation?

When a word comes to mean only a part of what it originally meant. The word ‘deer’ used to refer to any animal but now only refers to one type of animal in the Cervidae family.

What is a shift in denotation?

The total alteration of the context for a word. ‘Awful’ once meant ‘inspiring awe or wonder’, and now means something horrible or very unpleasant.

What is elevation of connotation?

The erosion of unpleasant overtones on a word. ‘Sophisticated’ once meant ‘mixed or impure’ and now means ‘worldly or wise’.

What is deterioration of connotation?

The acquisition of negative associations. ‘Villain’ previously meant ‘peasant’ but now means ‘evil person’

What is a neologism?

A new created word.

What are some examples of morphological change?

Abbreviations, Shortenings, Compounding, Affixation, Backformation, Blends, Contractions.

What is an abbreviation?

When a series of words is reduced to a string of letters. There are acronyms, like ‘ANZAC’, and initialisms like ‘FBI’.

What is shortening?

Dropping the beginnings or endings from words in order to create a shorter form for easier use. E.g ‘App’.

What is compounding?

The combination of two or more free morphemes to form a new word. ‘Snowball’.

What is a contraction?

When two words are shortened and combined, e.g ‘Can’t’ and ‘I’ve’.

How did the French language influence English?

William of Normandy defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Old French became the language of power, giving words like ‘poet’ and ‘nobility’.

What was the Great Vowel Shift?

A change in the pronunciation of the long vowels in English between 1350 and 1700, affecting spelling consistency. It is the reason ‘look’ and ‘spook’ do not rhyme. Vowels moved huger up and sometimes forward in the mouth. ‘Meat’ used to rhyme with ‘threat’. ‘Piece’ and ‘peace’.

When was the printing press invented?

1476. It caused standardisation.

What is the lexical change process of borrowing?

When one language adopts a lexeme from another language. ‘Restaurant’ from French.