L23B: Sociolinguistics 2005-2006 Please Turn off all cellular phones & pagers L23B Website: www.mona.uwi.edu/dllp/courses/l23b 9/19/2018
Course Assessment Incourse Test (40% of total grade) TEST DATE: MONDAY, APRIL 3, 2006 (2-4pm) Final Exam (60% of total grade) 9/19/2018
Topics for this Session Brief Review Language Change Internally vs. Externally motivated change Change in Progress 9/19/2018
Language Change Readings (Foundation): Wardhaugh – chapter 8 Janet Holmes - chapter 8 9/19/2018
Language Change - English Source: Mesthrie, Swann et al 1. Old English (c. 400AD to c.1100): Fder ure, pu pe art on heofonum… 2. Middle English (c.1100 to c.1500): Fader oure pat is i heuen… 3. Early Modern English (c.1500 to c.1800): Our father which art in heaven… 4. Modern English (from c. 1800) Our father who is in heaven… 9/19/2018
Language Change (Holmes – chapter 8) Process: New form develops New form used alongside an existing form if the new form spreads then change is in progress if it eventually dispatches the old form, the change is complete 9/19/2018
How do changes Spread? (Janet Holmes, page#200) From group to group From style to style From word to word 9/19/2018
Language Change Examples: Semantics: e.g. mete/meat – used to refer to all kinds of food Morphology: e.g. help – past tense was ‘healp’. Syntax: e.g.‘double negation’ was once acceptable. Phonology: e.g. Great vowel shift in English 9/19/2018
Language Change Evidence of Change taken from: Poetry/ old literature Comparative Construction 9/19/2018
Language Change Traditional View: distinction between Internally motivated (change overtime in language used in a community – but with no language contact as causative agent). Externally motivated (resulting from contact with another language variety or other speakers) 9/19/2018
Language change in progress Examples of Researches Chambers & Trudgill (1980) Labov’s work - Martha’s Vineyard –Wardhaugh (pg.197) Trudgill’s work in Norwich 9/19/2018
Why do languages change? Linguistic Reasons: articulation analogy 9/19/2018
Why do languages change? Social Reasons: geographical movement invention (e.g. wheel, camera) imperfect learning prestige 9/19/2018
CHANGE FROM ABOVE/CHANGE FROM BELOW (Labov) Change from above – dominant, high status group influences patterns of speech. Change from below - the lower class/group (subordinate group) influences patterns of speech 9/19/2018