Language Change

1. Revision

2. The creation of new words is known as coinage
The new words are called neologisms

3. Borrowing
These are also called
Loan words
Words borrowed from
another language
Barbecue comes from
Spanish
Bungalow comes from
Hindustani

4. Scientific Progress New words and phrases
invented because of
advances in medicine,
science and technology
in vitro fertilization
(1970s)

5. Affixation New prefixes or suffixes
are added to existing
words
Greek word hyper
Hyperactive,
hypersensitive
hypertension

6. Compounding Two separate words are
combined to create one
new one
Thumb and print to
create thumbprint
Hand and bag to create
handbag

7. Blending Two separate words are
blended together
Infotainment is a blend
of information and
entertainment
Satnav is a blend of
Satellite and navigation

8. Conversion Existing words change
class
Text/to text
Mail/to mail

9. Clipping – dropping of syllables to create an
abbreviation (demo/demonstration)
Initialism – FBI, OTT
Acronyms – NASA, WAGS
Back-formation – Suffix is removed to create a new
word (baby-sitter becomes baby-sit)

10. Eponyms – words derived from people's names
Jean Nicot sent tobacco seeds back to France
Nicotine
Brand names – Kleenex, Xeroxed
Places
Limousin (France)
Limousine

11. Obsolete
Archaisms
Unfashionable
Durst
Trow
Courting
Wireless

12. Orthography Through
Though
Tough
Cough
Plough
Hiccough
Why?

13. When a word’s meaning changes
Surfing
Rip
Burn

14. A word develops a more
positive meaning
Nice used to mean
foolish
A word develops a more
negative meaning
Hussy used to mean the
same as housewife
Pejoration

15. Bird
Place
Meat
Liquor
Narrowing

16. Old people
Disabled people
Half-caste
Toilet cleaner
Actress
Senior citizens
People with disabilities
Mixed race
Sanitation consultant
Actor

17. Plain sailing
High and dry
Clear the decks

18. We use a word associated with an object
Cash used to mean money box

19. Sayings that do not make literal sense (its raining cats
and dogs)
They usually have some factual, literary or historical
basis
As happy as Larry

20. To avoid offence or to lessen the unpleasant

21. Overused phrases

22. Our language is always changing

23. The past tense of some irregular verbs used to be
formed differently –over time the stem vowels have
changed
Spake has become spoke in PDE (Present Day
English)
Auxiliary verbs (do) started to be used more from
1700. This had an impact on word order
Spake you with him?
Did you speak with him?

24. Comparative and superlative inflections (greater and
greatest) exist in PDE as they did before
But ... In the nineteenth century properest was
grammatically acceptable.
What would you use now?
Most proper

25. Until the eighteenth century nouns were often
capitalised.
Less use of the definite article ( Russian instead of the
Russian)

26. Since 1700 sentences tend to have become shorter and
syntax less complicated.
Sentences contain far fewer subordinate clauses now.

27. Common in early 18th
century
Second half of the
twentieth century made
a comeback in less
formal texts
18th
century writers
thought them inelegant
By the nineteenth
century they had
become less common
Unfashionable

28. Today “I don’t want nothing” is considered non-
standard
Eighteenth century grammarians decided double
negatives should not be used
Robert Lowth used mathematical logic to argue
double negatives were not acceptable

29. Nouns like text, email, Facebook have become verbs
Adjectives sometimes used instead of adverbs (I’m
good instead of I’m well)
Use of intensifying adverb before an adjective (that
was well good)
Innit – isn’t it or can’t we?
I’m so not ready for this.

30. From 17th
century s was often written as ????
This was based on the handwriting style of the period.
Capitalisation was used by writers for a range of
reasons, including to emphasise words.

31. Serif type faces Sans serif
From mid 20th
century

32. Leading (line spacing) is
very dense
Text is small
No photos or
illustrations
All black and white
Text much less dense
Range of colour
Non-standard
typography
Information about what
is inside the newspaper
2009

33. Decorative illustrations
Title
Dense print
Black and white
Glossy photographs
Different font types
colours
2009

34. Make a list of all the electronic media you might use in one day.
What are the key features?