Lexical variation

Lexical Variattion

1. Lexical variation lingUistic

2. lExical variation A lexical variation is to use a linguistic element instead of other without making changes in the meaning of words or phrases. Example : Perhaps – Maybe Complete the chart with the possible lexical variations of the following words Milkshake Rubbish Freeway Autumn Stone Biscuit Cooker Engine Trousers Vacation Post French Fries

3. All languages change over time and vary according to the place and social setting. Time Three main aspects of language change over time: vocabulary, sentence structure and pronunciations. Vocabulary can change quickly as new words are borrowed from other languages, or as words get combined or shortened. Some words are even created by mistake. As noted in the Linguistic Society of America's publication Is English Changing?, pea is one such example. Up until about 400 years ago, pease referred to either a single pea or many peas. At some point, people mistakenly assumed that the word pease was the plural form of pea , and a new word was born .

4. English is spoken in different places and among different social groups. One of the most common differences between dialects is the way in which past tenses are formed. Most English verbs have a simple past tense that is unmarked for person, such as played, went, saw, did. In other words we simply say I played, you played, he/she/it played, we played and they played and make no adjustment to the ending of the verb. This contrasts quite markedly with the way past tenses are expressed in many other European languages. The verb 'to be' on the other hand has two simple past forms in Standard English - I/he/she/it was and you/we/they were.Apart from the special case of you, the distinction is, therefore, between singular was and plural were . In some regional dialects, however, this pattern is not observed. In some parts of the country, speakers use was throughout, while speakers elsewhere use were exclusively. There are also dialects where the two different forms are used for the opposite function - singular were and plural was.

5. Variation in lexis may be systematically used by speakers to index their affiliation with particular social groups. Recently , work has shown that this is also true for sign languages. This variation may function as an index of social variables such as region , gender, ethnicity, and social class, or social factors that are distinctive to sign language communities, such as the language policy of the school attended during childhood or the language background of the signer’s family. It may also be indicative of a language change in progress . “A li nguistic change can be said to have taken place when a new linguistic form, used by some sub-group within a speech community, is adopted by other members of that community and accepted as the norm.” Jennifer Coates

6. questionnaire Which are the three main aspects of language that change over time? According to Jennifer Coates, when can a change take place? Which are the three main aspects that affect language? What is a lexical variation? Mention 5 places where English is spoken Which is the singular form of pea?