Here are the types of semantic changes for the words: 1. Cynic - Elevation 2. Hacker - Extension 3. Anecdote - Extension 4. Grotesque - Elevation 5. Parakeet - Extension 6. Leer - Degradation 7. Captivated - Elevation 8. Paisley - Extension

1. Week 7: Language
Change
DR. RUSSELL RODRIGO

2. Outline
1. Language Change
2. Language Change Causes
3. Language Change Types

3. Is language change bad?
Ye knowe ek that in forme of speche is change
Withinne a thousand yeer, and words tho
That hadden pris now wonder nyce and straunge
Us thinketh hem, and yet thei spake hem so.
And spedde as wele in love, as men now do.
--- Geoffrey Chaucer, Troilus and Creseyde, ( ca. 1385)
You know that even forms of speech can change
Within a thousand years, and words we know
Were useful once, seem to us wondrous strange—
Foolish or forced – and yet men spoke them so.
And they spoke of love as well as men now do.

4. What is language change?
Language change is a phenomenon studied both by historical linguists and
sociolinguists.
Historical linguists study basically the change of languages over time (diachronic
change) and examine how languages were used in the past and how they relate to
one another [1].
Eg. Old English  Middle English  Modern English

5. The Three Types of English Language

6. Sociolinguists study the origins or the causes of language changes and
explain how society and changes in speech communities influence language
and generate sociolects [1].
Eg. Spanish spoken by an upper class man/woman in Madrid
and Spanish spoken by a working class man/woman in Andalucía.

7. Language change is the phenomenon whereby
phonetic, morphological, semantic, syntactic, and
other features of language vary over time.

8. Language Change
Causes

9. Language Change Causes
1. Economy
2. Analogy
3. Language Contact
4. Language Acquisition and Learning
5. Social Differentiation

10. 1. Economy
The principle of least effort is one of the basic and most used
explanations for many language changes [3].
Eg. She + is = she's; we + have + been = we've been;
clothes /kloʊðɪz/ - /kloʊz/;
fifth /fifθs/  /fifs/.

11. 2. Analogy
 A linguistic process that reduces words which are perceived as irregular by
making them similar to other regular forms (O’Grady et al. 1997).
 Cognitive factors also play a role in change in all components of grammar.
Examples:
Semantic  historically “livid” meant “pale”, its similar sound with “vivid”
has led to analogical semantic change.
Morphological  the verb “thrive” (thrive-throve-thriven) is on its way to
becoming a regular verbs (thrive-thrived-thrived).

12. 3. Language Contact
 Languages come into contact with each other.
 Migration, conquest and trade bring speakers of one language into contact with
speakers of another language.
 Geographic separation: when people move away from each other, their language
will diverge, at least for the vocabulary, due to different experiences.
 The most common way that languages influence each other is the exchange of
words especially if there is lexical a gap in the language [3]. Eg. “shushi” from
Japanese.
 Or if the dominant language is thought to sound more prestigious[3]. Eg. French loans
in English in law (“crime”, “judge”).
 Any examples of BORROWED words?

14. Pidgins and Creole

16. CREOLE

17. Philippine Creole: Chavacano

18. 4. Language Acquisition/Learning
 A psycholinguistic explanation related to the generative theories
(N. Chomsky – human beings possess an innate faculty for
acquiring language).
 Language acquisition by children is considered the main
origin of language change because the child’s inner grammar
may differ from the adult’s. Yet, it has been demonstrated that
language change is not restricted to language acquisition, but
may also occur with adult speakers [3].

19. 5. Social Differentiation
 Social groups adopt distinctive norms of dress, adornment, gesture and so forth;
language is part of the package.
 Linguistic distinctiveness can be achieved through vocabulary (slang or jargon),
pronunciation (usually via exaggeration of some variants already available in
the environment), morphological processes, syntactic constructions, and so on.
 Social prestige: Language may not only change towards a prestigious accent, but
also away from one with negative prestige, as in the case of rhoticity of
received pronunciation. Such movements can go back and forward.

20. Sociolinguistic Explanations
It is assumed that we can infer how a language will vary over time
if we analyse the linguistic behaviour of different age groups at a
certain point in time.
W. Labov stated that two decisive parameters influence speakers´
linguistic behavior: their social class membership and the
formality of the situation [3].

21. Language Change
Types

22. Language is always changing: pronunciations evolve, new words are
borrowed or invented, the meaning of old words drifts, and
morphology develops or decays.
There are three major types of language change:
1. Lexical
2. Grammatical
3. sound level.

23. 1. Lexical Level
Lexical level refers to changes in the meaning of
words:
1- Loss Lexical Items – same phonemic structure
but different meaning [6].
Eg.”Bank”; or phonetic attrition ”refrigerator” -
”fridge”.

24. Lexical level Cont.
2- Change of meaning – semantic change due to historical or
psychological factors [6].
Types of changes (p. 553):
a. Extensions
b. Reductions
c. Elevations
d. Degradations

25. Types of Lexical Changes
1. Semantic Extensions – occurs when the set of appropriate contexts or referents for a word increases. Often
the result of generalization from specific case to the class of which the specific case is a member.
E.g. Old English: docga (a particular breed of dog), Modern English: dog (class of dogs as a whole)
2. Semantic Reductions – occur when the set of appropriate contexts or referents for a word decreases.
E.g. OE: hund (referred to dogs in general) ME: hound (now refers to a few particular breeds of dogs)
3. Semantic Elevations – occur when a word takes on somewhat grander or more positive connotations over
time.
E.g. OE: Knight (youth or military follower), ME: Knight (elevated to refer to people of somewhat more
romantic and impressive status).
4. Semantic Degradations – the opposite of elevations; occur when a word acquires a more pejorative
meaning over time.
E.g. OE: lust ( simply meant pleasure)
ME: lust (making its current association with sinfulness, a degradation of the original meaning.

26. Semantic Change (p.567)
 Using the Oxford English Dictionary or some other etymological reference, find the modern and
earlier meanings of each of the following words. What kind of semantic change (extension,
reduction, elevation, or degradation) has occurred in each case?
1. Cynic
2. Hacker
3. Anecdote
4. Grotesque
5. Parakeet
6. Leer
7. Captivated
8. paisley