Language Change (Dictionary)

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Covert Prestige

Back 1

Refers to the status speakers who choose not to adopt a standard dialect get from a particular group within society.

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Diachronic Change

Back 2

Refers to the study of historical change occurring over a span of time.

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Drift

Back 3

A process of linguistic change over a period of time.

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Lexicon

Back 4

The vocabulary of language

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Mixed-mode

Back 5

Features of printed text combined with features expected in conversation.

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Obsolete

Back 6

No longer having any use.

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Overt prestige

Back 7

Refers to the status speakers get from using the most official and standard form of a language. Received Pronunciation and Standard English are accepted as the most prestigious English accent and dialect.

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Political Correctness

Back 8

Words or phrases used to replace those that are deemed offensive.

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Standardisation

Back 9

Making all variations of language conform to the standard language.

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Synchronic Change

Back 10

Refers to an approach that studies language at the theoretical point in time without considering the historical context.

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Typography

Back 11

The study of the graphic features of the printed page.

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Dummy Auxiliary

Back 12

The verb 'do' which is used to form questions and negatives or to add emphasis on a statement.

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Emoticons

Back 13

The online means of showing facial expressions and gestures.

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Influential Power

Back 14

Power used to influence or persuade others.

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Instrumental Power

Back 15

Power used to maintain and enforce authority.

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Assimilation

Back 16

The influence exercised by one sound upon the articulation of another so that the sounds become more alike.

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Creole

Back 17

A language variety created by contact between one or more language forms and becoming established over several generations of users.

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Cockney

Back 18

A distinctive accent spoken in London.

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Cockney

Back 19

A distinctive accent spoken in London.

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Dialect

Back 20

The lexical, semantic and grammatical patterns of language use distinctive to a particular group of people.

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Divergence

Back 21

When a person's speech patterns become more individualised and less like those of the other person in a conversation.

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Eye dialect

Back 22

A way of spelling words that suggests a regional or social way of talking.

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Social variables

Back 23

The ways in which the context of data differs by social factors like age, gender, ethnicity and social class.

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Prescriptivism

Back 24

An attitude to language use that makes judgements about what is right and wrong and holds language up to an ideal standard that should be maintained.

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London Jamaican

Back 25

A distinctive variety of language blending Cockney, Jamaican Creole and Standard English forms.

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Informalisation

Back 26

The way in which language is becoming increasingly informal in all areas of society.

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Omission

Back 27

The leaving out of a phoneme in a group of phonemes clustered together.

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Received Pronunciation

Back 28

The prestige form of English pronunciation, sometimes considered as the 'accent' of Standard English

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Scouse

Back 29

A distinctive accent spoken in Merseyside.

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Americanisms

Back 30

Examples of language use distinct to American English speakers.

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Descrptivism

Back 31

An attitude to language use that seeks to describe it without making value judgements.

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Fascicle

Back 32

One of the divisions of a book published in parts.

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Fronting

Back 33

Moving the place in which a vowel is pronounced towards the front of the mouth.

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Subculture

Back 34

A cultural pursuit engaged in that happens outside of the mainstream, accepted values of society.