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Factors responsible for the evolution of contemporary English
Brief notes on the origin of the English language
Brief notes on the origin of the English language
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Subject: “How has the English Language Changed over time. Give some influences that has made changes in decades” All languages change over time, and there can be many different reasons for this. First, it changes because the needs of its speakers change. New technologies, new products, and new experiences require new words to refer to them clearly and efficiently. Language also changes easy whenever speakers come into contact with each other. No two individuals speak identically: people from different geographical places clearly speak differently, but even within the same small community there are variations according to a speaker’s age, gender, social and educational background. Through our interactions with these different …show more content…
We borrow them from other languages (sushi), we create them by shortening longer words (gym from gymnasium) or by combining words (brunch from breakfast and lunch). Word order also changes, though this process is much slower. Old English word order was much more 'free' than that of Modern English. [source: http://www.linguisticsociety.org/] Some of the main influences on the evolution of language include: • The movement of people across countries,for example migration,and in previous centuries,colonisation. • Speakers of one language coming into contact with those who speak a different one • New vocabulary required for inventions such as transport,domestic appliances and industrial equipment,or sporting,entertainment,cultural and leisure reasons. [source: www.english.com] One obvious reason is interaction with other languages. If one tribe of people trades with another, they will pick up specific words and phrases for trade objects,for example. Over the last decade, the English language has taken a great leap forward. And the main reason for that,is modern technology. As we mentioned above, one of influences that has made changes in English language over time is foreign
Peter Trudgill argues that overtime the meanings of words have been changed by society in order to fit the general understanding of a word. He defends his argument against people that claim the definition of a word should come from its origin. However, Trudgill illustrates the transition words have undergone throughout history, and how those affects are arbitrary to when it comes to communication now.
The way people speak English is primarily affected by where and from whom they learned to speak it. In many cases,
some word(s) could be different compared to how the words are used in the 21st century. In
As you walk around just take the second to notice that almost everyone you passed is quickly twiddling their thumbs across their phone screen. Ding. Someone’s iPhone just received a new text, two-seconds later, Swoosh. Did you figure out what the New Age English Language is yet? Yes, you are correct, texting. Since the first text message was set on December 3, 1992, our english language has been growing and evolving and it not stopping yet. Critics will claim that texting is destroy our english language as a whole. These critics do not understand that texting has formed from our modern day english. When thinking of texting, many fail to see that texting has become one of the newest form of the english language. In order to have a successful educational experience, one must be able to incorporate the benefits of texting which include having a strong understanding of grammar
how the English language has changed in the many years from then until now. The
Languages are continually changing and developing, and these changes occur in many different ways and for a variety of reasons. Language change is detectable to some extent in all languages, and ‘similar paths of change’ can be recognised in numerous unrelated languages (Bybee, 2015, p. 139). Since users of language all over the world have ‘the same mental processes’ and ‘use communication for the same or very similar ends’ (Bybee, 2015, p. 1), similar changes occur on the same linguistic aspects, and in many cases these changes produce similar results in multiple languages. However, language change is limited by the function it performs. Languages must be learnt to such an extent which allows communication between the generation above and below one’s own (McMahon, 1994, p. 5). Hence language change is a gradual, lethargic process, as only small changes in
In Johnson’s preface to A Dictionary of the English Language, Johnson argues the importance of preserving language. Other dialects had a produced their own dictionaries, such as the French and Italians. Various writers of the eighteenth century were alarmed at the fact that there was no standard for the English language, since there was no standard it could easily become extinct. Johnson explored many points, such as how and why languages change as well as how many words are formed.
...echnology should be heralded as the greatest benefactor to linguistics and language. Instead, it seems as if it just may be its downfall if left unmitigated. Technology such as the Internet, cell phones, text messaging and social such have impacted language and English in a variety of ways. E-mail and text messaging have made writing an everyday occurrence. Computers have made writing quicker and much easier. With such easy access to information as Peter Diamandis put it in his book Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think, “we are living in a world of information and communication abundance,” (10) and with the rise in popularity of technology, we see the English language deteriorating more and more until one day its form in the future will be completely unrecognizable to its predecessor much as Old English seems foreign when compared to the English of today.
It is important to differentiate code-switching from the practices of borrowing and using loanwords. Such loaned or borrowed words are used by many speakers throughout a language, whereas code-switching happens in specific times and places. Code-switching can also be conscious or unconscious. While a word from a different language might be added for clarity, fluently bilingual speakers may switch between languages with little intention or purpose. Persons in multilingual communities tend to code-switch frequently and with little or no conscious effort. A code-switching speaker may simply speak the first word that comes to mind, regardless of which language provides the source. Code-switching is n...
The Political, social and cultural impacts on the English language during its Old English phase.
Have you ever wondered where the names of the different items you use daily came from? Or listened to people talk and find a particular word interesting or odd and wonder why it has become part of our English language? The English language that we speak today has developed as a result of many different influences and changes over thousands of years. The resulting changes to the English language can be split into three time periods that include, Old English or Anglo-Saxon, Middle English and Modern English which is commonly used today
Language has oral, written and non-verbal aspects, that can be seen and heard, and which are socially and culturally influenced. Although languages have common features, these social and cultural influences also create great diversity among languages and varieties, often leading to a perception that some varieties have greater value or status. In addition, social and cultural context play a large role in meaning-making. Children develop language as a result of social and cultural interactions, based on a growing awareness of the functions of language, and how language can be used. This understanding of the different types and uses of language increases as children experience language outside of the home. As their understanding of these different roles of language grows, children gain the ability to select and use the appropriate language for a particular context or
It is interesting to see the way that the English languge has grown and changed.
Language as a dynamic structure is exposed to constant development, transformation and alteration. Media, society, culture, science, technology and politics are the core factors that contribute towards language evolution. Due to numerous linguistic and extra linguistic factors, newly coined units in the language are in the process of entering and influencing the English language. These new units, known as neologisms, serve as our guidance in understanding the never-ending evolution in the English language. Furthermore, neologisms ease each individual’s process of coping with changes by creating mental bridges between the old and the contemporary. The English language vocabulary is facing constant change, as neologisms enter in a blink of an eye through the media. The mass media being the major source and ground on which English neologisms are coined, plays a significant role of intermediary between the English population as active consumers and the language itself.
Reading of Chapter four in the textbook titled " Foreign Influences on Old English,” the followings are the terms that came across as interesting and necessary for the understanding of the extent of foreign influence on the old English language: