Attitudes to Language Change, Prescriptive and Descriptive
In the article linked at the bottom of this post, it explores the idea that fashion is like language. It's interesting as it suggests that where fashion has it's phases that come and go like "beards", language too has phases, like when people in the 2000's were saying "sick" and in the 90's "wicked" was the word everyone said. Another more modern example is how teenagers from last year started saying "fleek" and "bae", the fashion trend was having "ombre" hair. The article had a very descriptive attitude, exploring the different attitudes and why they may have changed.
However it then explained that fashion and language do differ from each other. This is because in fashion, trends come back, where as it is unlikely for language trends to come back, like with the example the article gave: "hotsy totsy". It ended up explaining that language differs from fashion because language is a practical tool, not just a form of expression.
Even though clothes are practical, fashion is an aspect of clothing that can be changed to suit a person's taste. Language has parts that aren't essential to what is being
communicated. It has a purpose to do that is essential for us to live. Fashion,
although good as it is, doesn’t have an important purpose. If there was an
emergency and you had to explain something to an emergency team, fashion wouldn’t
help in that situation, words will.
Another person who has an interesting view on language is Jean Aitchison. She is a Professor of Language and Communication and created metaphors to describe prescriptive views to language change. The metaphors included: the damp spoon metaphor, the crumbling castle metaphor and the infectious disease assumption metaphor.
The Damp Spoon:
This is the metaphor that suggest that language change is because of laziness. She said that "there's a trade off between smooth, fast speech and slow careful speech. Faster speech involves more words per minute, and cannot be classed as ‘laziness’." When we speak faster, we will most likely use more words than if we spoke slower. When we speak slower, we miss out words that we as irrelevant. For example: People may now say "Went Asda" instead of "I went to Asda." This could also link to the idea of technology and text speak, creating initialisms because we can't be bothered to say "be right back" so we say "BRB".
The Crumbling Castle:
This metaphor is about language crumbling and that it needs to be preserved. She said, "…implies that the language of English was gradually and lovingly assembled until it reached a point of maximum splendour at some unspecified time in the past. Yet no year can be found when language achieved some peak of perfection, like a vintage wine.” She suggested that we use new uses of older forms of words, EG: "shoot up", "shot up" and "shooted up."
The Infectious Disease Assumption:
She stated, "The wholesale spread of corruption may surely be ascribed to mere infection, to the careless, unthinking assimilation of the floating germs which envelop us." The changes in language aren't random and hold on if language is moving in a specific direction.
Bibliography:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/06/language-fashion-weather-speak
http://a2englishlanguagestringer.blogspot.co.uk/
https://aggslanguage.wordpress.com/jean-aitchesons-language-change-progress-or-decay/
Monday, 29 February 2016
Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Etymology and the stages of semantic development of 'Like'
'Like'
Etymology:
'Like' originally came from the Old English verb: lician, which meant "to please, be sufficient," similarly to the Proto-Germanic word, "likjan" where the "lik" meant: "body, form; same." The base meaning was "to be like". 'Like' and 'dislike' originally wasn't structured out the way we do today, originally it was: "It likes me" where as we now say "I like it". Our modern structure started to begin in late 14c.
Semantic Development:
Later on the verb broadened to become an adjective in Middle English, meaning "having the same characteristics or qualities". It could have been taken from the Proto-Germanic word: "galika" which meant "having the same form".
In 1200c 'like' became a noun meaning "a similar thing" to something else. Also at this time 'like' was used as a preposition with nouns and pronouns, for example: "It was only five o' clock, but it seemed like the middle of the night."
In modern day 'like' has become a discourse marker in, most commonly, teenager's speech. It can be used along with 'um', 'uh' and 'erm'. For example: "I, like, don't know where I'm going."
It is also used in modern day (although originally first used in 1778 then not used as much until much later) as part of speech that is from a particular dialect, EG: "I didn't do anything, like."
With the introduction of technology there has been the increase in social networks, including Facebook. As part of Facebook you can 'like' something, by clicking on the 'like' button. This then changes the 'like' from a semantic verb to a dynamic verb. An example would be "I saw you liked my Facebook status."
I think that with the increase of social network sites like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube there will always be new developments in language and new meanings to words. I think what could also be a factor in changing language recently is the media EG: newspaper articles, which frequently create blend words of celebrity couples. Along with this there's the ever growing film industry and new generations which create new meanings to words.
Examples:
It can be used as a synonym to 'enjoy' and 'be pleased by'.
'I like sweets' and 'I like skiing in winter.'
It can mean 'to prefer' and 'maintain' something as a regular habit or activity.
'We like to go to the dentist every six months.' and 'I like going to the gym every week.'
Another use of it is 'To come near' and 'to avoid with difficulty'
"He liked to have been too late."
It also means to find someone attractive, for example:
"I really like ... but don't know how to tell him."
Bibliography:
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=like
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv156.shtml
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/like#Etymology_1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like
Etymology:
'Like' originally came from the Old English verb: lician, which meant "to please, be sufficient," similarly to the Proto-Germanic word, "likjan" where the "lik" meant: "body, form; same." The base meaning was "to be like". 'Like' and 'dislike' originally wasn't structured out the way we do today, originally it was: "It likes me" where as we now say "I like it". Our modern structure started to begin in late 14c.
Semantic Development:
Later on the verb broadened to become an adjective in Middle English, meaning "having the same characteristics or qualities". It could have been taken from the Proto-Germanic word: "galika" which meant "having the same form".
In 1200c 'like' became a noun meaning "a similar thing" to something else. Also at this time 'like' was used as a preposition with nouns and pronouns, for example: "It was only five o' clock, but it seemed like the middle of the night."
In modern day 'like' has become a discourse marker in, most commonly, teenager's speech. It can be used along with 'um', 'uh' and 'erm'. For example: "I, like, don't know where I'm going."
It is also used in modern day (although originally first used in 1778 then not used as much until much later) as part of speech that is from a particular dialect, EG: "I didn't do anything, like."
With the introduction of technology there has been the increase in social networks, including Facebook. As part of Facebook you can 'like' something, by clicking on the 'like' button. This then changes the 'like' from a semantic verb to a dynamic verb. An example would be "I saw you liked my Facebook status."
I think that with the increase of social network sites like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube there will always be new developments in language and new meanings to words. I think what could also be a factor in changing language recently is the media EG: newspaper articles, which frequently create blend words of celebrity couples. Along with this there's the ever growing film industry and new generations which create new meanings to words.
Examples:
It can be used as a synonym to 'enjoy' and 'be pleased by'.
'I like sweets' and 'I like skiing in winter.'
It can mean 'to prefer' and 'maintain' something as a regular habit or activity.
'We like to go to the dentist every six months.' and 'I like going to the gym every week.'
Another use of it is 'To come near' and 'to avoid with difficulty'
"He liked to have been too late."
It also means to find someone attractive, for example:
"I really like ... but don't know how to tell him."
Bibliography:
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=like
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv156.shtml
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/like#Etymology_1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like
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