LANGUAGE CHANGE

• 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.
• Types of language change include sound
changes, lexical changes, semantic changes, and
syntactic changes.
Why does language change over time?
• Trade and migration. As cultures interact, mix and
trade, language shifts to accommodate these
changes. ...
• Technology and new inventions. New words and
phrases are also invented to describe things that
didn't exist before. ...
• Old words acquiring new meanings. Nice is often
given as an example of a word shift.
• Language is constantly adapting and changing to
reflect our changing lives, experiences and
cultures.

• Language change enables us to accommodate

new ideas, inventions and technologies.

• It's not just the words themselves which change;

the way in which we use them can shift too.
Why does language change over time?
• Language isn’t fixed; it is always evolving. The
English language has changed dramatically over
the last millennium.

• There are many different ways that this

evolution happens. Here are some of the
primary ways:
1. Trade and migration
• As cultures interact, mix and trade, language shifts to
accommodate these changes.
• English, for example, often borrows from other
languages. These are called loanwords.
• Avatar, tsunami and sudoku are good examples of
more recent loanwords.
• Can you guess which languages we have ‘borrowed’
these words from?
2. Technology and new inventions
• New words and phrases are also invented to describe things
that didn’t exist before.
• A few years ago we weren’t lured by clickbait and didn’t
worry about our carbon footprint. It is only recently that we
have taken selfies or listened to podcasts.
• Sometimes these invented words are the fusion of two
words that existed before.
• These are known as portmanteau words. For example, blog
comes from the combination of web and log.
3. Old words acquiring new meanings
• Nice is often given as an example of a word shift.
• Over seven hundred years it has changed its meaning from
'foolish' to 'shy', then to 'dainty', from there to 'delightful'
and to our modern meaning of 'giving pleasure or
satisfaction'. Some shift!
• The internet has been responsible for a number of more
recent word shifts: mouse, surf and web are obvious
examples.
Language change today
• Think about the English-speaking world today. We are
experiencing an exceptional amount of international
trade, migration and technological change.
• Just as the world is quickly changing around us, so is
the language we use.
• Have you noticed the way you use language changing
recently?