why languages change and accents in english.pptx

why languages change

1. Why languages change ? by Jurayeva Nozima

2. Introduction Language change is the phenomenon by which permanent alterations are made in the features and the use of a language over time. All natural languages change, and language change affects all areas of language use. Levels of language change include  sound changes, lexical changes, semantic changes, and syntactic changes . It is studied by both historical linguists and sociolinguists. Diachronic Change – (Historical Linguists) the change in languages over time. e.g . Old English > Middle English > Modern English Synchronic Change – (Sociolinguists) the origins or the causes of language changes how language changes with society or in particular period. e.g . Punjabi in Pakistan and Punjabi in India

3. Types of changes Incremental Change I s the creation of new vocabulary used to designate some physical invention, new social motivation or new items of knowledge. e.g. “Selfie”, “emoji” etc. added in dictionaries 2. Decremental Change words that are not used anymore since the object is not longer used. e.g. Cassette, floppy disk etc.

4. Language Change Overview Jean Aitchison is one of the biggest contributors to this area through her book “Language Change: Progress or Decay?” (1991). Within this she posits that there are 2 ways of viewing the phenomenon of language change: 1. Decay (Could be both Conscious and Unconscious) e.g. Loss of Rhotic ‘r’ car – Unconscious Speakers didn't intend to "lose" the /r/ sound; it changed naturally over time Colour → Color, Defence → Defense [Driven by conscious efforts (e.g. Noah Webster’s reforms) 2. Progress (Could be Natural or Social) Loss of /b/ in "thumb" and "lamb" [ natural } Originally pronounced with /b/ (e.g. thum-b), the /b/ became silent over time. A natural sound change—simplifies pronunciation and increases fluency. Social Progress Example: Gender-neutral language usage E.g. fireman → firefighter, they as a singular pronoun. Driven by social awareness and inclusion; a conscious move toward equality in language.

5. NEW OLD

6. Levels of language change Changes occur on the following levels of language. Phonological (sounds) Syntactic (structure) Semantic (meaning)

7. 1-Phonological (sounds) change Over time, the sounds of languages tend to change. An understanding of sound change is truly important for historical linguistics in general, and this needs to be stressed - it plays an extremely important role in the comparative method and hence also in linguistic reconstruction, in internal reconstruction, in detecting loanwords, and in determining whether languages are related to one another. Sound change is the most thoroughly studied area of historical linguistics.

8. Terms for changes in pronunciation In historical linguistics, a number of traditional terms designate types of phonetic change, either by nature or result. Some of them are as follows; Assimilation  i s a common phonological process by which one sound becomes more like a nearby sound. This can occur either within a word or between words. It occurs in normal speech, and it becomes more common in more rapid speech. In rapid speech, for example, "handbag" is often pronounced /ˈhæmbæɡ/. The pronunciations /ˈhænbæɡ/ or /ˈhændbæɡ/ are, however, common in normal speech, whereas the word "cupboard", for example, is always pronounced /ˈkʌbərd/, never /ˈkʌpbɔːrd/, even in slow, highly articulated speech. Dissimilation   is a phenomenon whereby similar  consonants or vowels in a word become less similar. For example, when a /r/ sound occurs before another in the middle of a word in rhotic dialects of English, the first tends to drop out, as in "suprise" for  surprise,  "paticular" for  particular , and "govenor" for  governor . Metathesis Two sounds switch places. Example: Old English  th ri dda  became Middle English  th ir d . The process has shaped many English words historically.  Bird  and  horse  came from Old English  bridd  and  hros .

9. 2- Syntactic (structure) Change It occurs in the grammatical notions that govern languages, it is a low process and in need for further investigation. Word order Old English: SOV and SVO language Modern English: An SVO language Double negation – no longer part of English i dont know nothing✅ In Old English and some dialects, double negatives were normal and added emphasis. ❌ In Standard Modern English, they are seen as incorrect. Contracted negatives – Old English knew not – didn’t know Comparatives – Old English most shamefullest , more happier

10. 3-Semantic (meaning) Change Semantic changes in word meanings - semantic shift. There are f our common types of change are broadening, narrowing, amelioration , and pejoration . Broadening: ( generalization or extension ) Broadening is the process by which a word's meaning becomes more inclusive than an earlier meaning. In Old English dog referred to just one particular breed, and thing meant a public assembly. In Contemporary English - dog can refer to any hairy, barking , four-legged creature . Narrowing: ( specialization or restriction ) The opposite of broadening is narrowing in which a word's meaning becomes less inclusive. For example, in Middle English, deer could refer to any animal, and girl could mean a young person of either sex .

11. Amelioration: refers to the upgrading or rise in status of a word's meaning. Knight once meant “servant,” but now means a person of honor. Pejoration: More common than amelioration is the downgrading or depreciation of a word's meaning. For example, the adjective silly , for instance, once meant "blessed" or "innocent," Villain once meant “farm worker,” but now means a “bad person.”