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Evaluate the idea that language change is in a process of continual…
Evaluate the idea that language change is in a process of continual improvement
contact
between
social groups
MLE coined by
Paul Kerswill
MLE is spreading due to geographical mobility (Milroy)
more people have access to other parts of the country = language can spread quicker
Sue Fox
found that MLE is used by teenagers regardless of race or ethnicity
salient amongst youths because individuals within a
closed network
(Milroy) tend to
accommodate
their language by
converging
with other members, to feel a sense of belonging (Giles and Coupland)
features of MLE:
th-stopping = voiceless dental fricative /θ/ to /t/
Three --> Tree /tri:/
Think --> tink /tiŋk/
cause: high immigration in the UK = contact with various social groups
MUBE was coined by Rob Drummond as a response to the increasing use of MLE dialect in other regions of the country.
necessity
language and discrimination
ableist language e.g r-word, which once was a clinical term but has evolved into a pejorative slang term. Evaluative adjective 'special'
euphemism treadmill (Pinker): the process whereby words introduced to replace overtime become offensive themselves.
Even when new words are introduced to replace existing words which have gained negative connotations, their meaning still evolves to reflect the negative attitudes held by society. (Linguistic reflectionism)
linguistic reform can be seen through the reclamation of the N-word.
Challenge: linguistic reform has not been entirely successful.
Market terms such as bachelorette (derivational bound morpheme 'ette' which implies its less than.
Lexical asymmetry - male words and female words are unequal in connotation. e.g mistress --> 'the other woman' while master --> skilled, owner, dominant.
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
Linguistic Determinism
Strong version
People's thoughts and actions are shaped by their language
e.g. racist language being used at home makes you more likely to be rasict
Linguistic relativism
Weak version
People's thoughts and actions are only somewhat shaped by their language
Linguistic reflectionism
People's language reflects their thoughts
e.g using sexist language reflects a person's sexist viewpoint
language change is inevitable
David crystal tide metaphor
Haliday Functional fit theory
postal: 'language change is as unpredictable as fashion'
removal of the inflectional bound morpheme 'ly' on adverbs such as "dreadfully" and "awfully" to create the evaluative adjectives "dreadful" and "awful"
prescriptivist ideas around language change:
Aitchisons decay models
Norman-French superstratum influence (1066)
old english lexemes: cow,sheep,pig,chicken --> beef, mutton, pork, poultry
Substratum influence
house and caught - double vowel structure au and ou