Language Change and Analysis

Reasons for Language Change:


When words begin to be used in different ways and acquire new meanings it is called neosemy, EG: 'Text' was originally a noun then became a verb as well. There are many different processes in language which are linked to neosemy like amelioration. This is the process where a word gains a more positive meaning like 'pretty' used to mean sly. Another process that is linked to neosemy is broadening, this is where a word keeps it's old meaning but adds a new one.
These processes are the ways in which language is changing. Through broadening, amelioration, narrowing and pejoration, words add, lose or change meanings which changes the language that we use everyday. But there are many reasons why language changes below.


One reason why language is changing is because of external factors like technology. Through the rise of technology and popularity of it, new words have been created and old words have broadened to be part of the lexical field of technology like the words "windows" and "virus". However not only is it external factors but also internal factors that affect it, like the base meaning of a word can be linked to something similar EG: an actual virus can be similar to a computer virus. Other reasons why could be because changing of social ideas where words aren't socially acceptable anymore EG: They instead of 'he' or 'she'.


Analysis of Hefer's article:
Throughout the article it is clear that the writer has a very prescriptive attitude which is what was expected when seeing that is from the Daily Mail. The newspaper is known to have an attitude that is about what's right and wrong, not having a more open opinion. It is shown when talking about the word "rubbish":
"These abominations have no place in serious writing."
The use of the word "abomination" is very odd to find in the text especially when talking about language change. The word brings along with it many negative connotations of horror and disgust. The word itself hasn't changed much over time as the original meaning from the Old French word "abominacion" which meant "the feeling of disgust, horror and loathing".
Something else that I found interesting is Heffer's use of the word 'he'. It seems to be his default word for third person, personal pronoun. A reason for this could be because of his prescriptive attitude as people with that attitude tend to say 'he' and don't understand why they should say anything else instead of it. The article was written in 2014, when 'they' would have been used instead of 'he' or 'she' when they don't know the gender of the person. Even though it might not have been fairly common, as a journalist he would have known that 'they' would have been the more favourable word. He does actually use 'they' at one point but then quickly reverts back to 'he'. It's interesting to consider the fact that he may have used it to be controversial. As a newspaper known for being controversial, the Daily Mail could have approved of his use of the default word just to get readers talking.


Following on from the newspaper's need to be controversial, the writer used the word 'joyously' to describe the whole article. The word brings positive connotations and makes you think that the article is going to be a light hearted article when really it's quite heavy with the use of "abomination" and "absurdity". They could have used even used it to be funny or sarcastic, it was again an odd use of the word.