Obafemi Awolowo University
Discussion
Started 24 January 2025
Using English as an example, explain how and why languages change.
History of English:
How English Changed from a Synthetic Language (Many Suffixes)
to an Analytic Language (Fewer Suffixes), and
How English Has Become the “Lingua Franca” of the Modern World
In discussing the History of English, we must consider such terms as assimilation, dissimilation, umlaut, ablaut, Grimm's Law, Verner's law, and in the case of Old English becoming Middle English and Modern English, language typology (synthetic languages vs. analytic languages), a syllable-timed language becoming a stress-timed language, the loss of suffixes, development of final schwa, and finally development of "silent e," and the Great English vowel shift. I would like to start a discussion about how and why languages change.
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Thank you, Everyone. Your contributions are awesome.
Popular replies (1)
Arizona State University
Beatrice: Good point. An example is "Spanglish," where English is in contact with Spanish. Check out this PowerPoint about "English and Spanish in Contact with each other."
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All replies (6)
Obafemi Awolowo University
One of the many reasons why languages change is because of language contact. This is a point where a language meets another language.
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Arizona State University
Beatrice: Good point. An example is "Spanglish," where English is in contact with Spanish. Check out this PowerPoint about "English and Spanish in Contact with each other."
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Kwara State University
Variability of language can be attributed to another factor distinct from language contact, and that is "language shift" in time. This proves the dynamic nature of language. Language evolves as a result of changes in the society itself. For instance, science and technology in the 19th century were not as advanced as it is in the 21st century. Hence, new words (morphology) have emerged, likewise new meanings (semantics). This is coupled with contextual differences.
This brings up the question, when was the last time the word, "gay" used to mean "happy". In present times, what comes to mind at the first mention of the word is "homosexuality".
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How is our world view affected by our bodies: tall vs. short, fat vs. skinny, old vs. young, athletic vs. intellectual, boy vs. girl?
Humor in Gender and Embodiment Issues
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Also, the way we see the world is determined by the bodies we live in. George Lakoff gives evidence that our view of the world is largely determined by the body we inhabit: Old vs. Young, White vs. Black, Male vs. Female, Strong vs. Weak, Educated vs. Uneducated, Farmer vs. Rancher, Muslim vs. Jewish vs. Christian, Norwegian vs. Spaniard, Athletic vs. Clumsy, etc.
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Computer Guys, Doctors, Lawyers, Linguists, Teachers
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Children, Teenagers, Old People
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California, Canada, New York, South
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Casual Acquaintances, Lovers, Friends, Relatives
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Give examples of how our world view is affected by our bodies: tall vs. short, fat vs. skinny, old vs. young, athletic vs. intellectual, boy vs. girl, etc.
Related Publications
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1986. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 316-326).
Report (M.A.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1975. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-58).