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Issues
of Change - a summary
1
Change is normal and gives life to a language
Refer to the history of language, in which language constantly adapts
to circumstances. The French society attempts unsuccessfully to restrict
language change especialy the introduction of English loan words. Le weekend,
bouldozeur etc are nevertheless in common use and more people use le computer
than the officially sanctioned "ordinateur".
2 Traditional spelling
(orthography) retains etymology
" Simplification" would not solve the whole problem. eg colour
-> color would be satisfactory but nation and national
would be spelled differently, which and witch the same
... If we keep fuse and muse then news becomes
nuse and hues and hews both -> huse.
Not a satisfactory solution! In summary there are so many variations of
spelling that wholesale amendments woullkd not resolve the conflicts of
homophones and homonyms.
In addition, we could lose the slim connection between a written word
and its original meaning as its etymology is often preserved in its spelling
eg knight, pneumonia....
3
Pronunciation change distances speech from writing
Listening to a wide variety of speakers provides breadth to your listening
repertoire but spelling is unlikely to change significantly. English as
a global language will provide more second-language speakers whose first
language will have an effect on their pronunciation. While local dialects
and accents may decrease International accents may increase.
4 Gender,
race and other sensitive issues
The male dominating pronoun is an issue because of feminism; racial slurs
may be affected by more or less tolerance in society. Nigger,
negro queer are replaced by euphemisms or more acceptable
alternatives as sectors of society gain or lose dominance and influence.
Note that Quakers adopted the name as an ironic comment; a word
which was originally critical or abusive became a badge of pride. Queer
and black have been used in the same way in recent years.
5 Influence
of the mass media
Johnson’s dictionary of 1755 affected spelling in the educated.
BBC pronunciation reached areas of local non-standard accents from the
1920’s and BBC TV from the 1950’s so it was seen as a standard
to be attained. US English spread through movies from 1927. The Internet
is predominantly an English / American language medium too. BBC English
has contributed towards a decline in local dialects and the Internet has
contributed to language changes in spoken and written English (eg the
word movie instead of film, above)
Newspaper language is an ever present influence too:
an experienced or able person = ace
purpose, design, object or intention = aim
prohibition, refusal, restraint = ban
offer, endeavour or attempt = bid
superintendent, supervisor, overseer, governor or manager = chief
abridgement, abbreviation, shortening, reduction = cut
or axe
married = wed
6 Influence
of travel and global communications
This provides a broadened experience either at first or second hand and
leads to the adoption of vocab and idioms beyond immediate experience
such as (dim sums, snags on the barbie, too right...) for English
speakers listening to Australian television programmes.
7 English
as a global language
Here we see influences of non-native speakers who may outnumber native
speakers, who may not have visited a native English speaking country and
have different cultural views, pronunciations and needs. Could they create
an International English (or several dialects) which diverge from native
standard English?
8 Computers
and technology
There is a standardisation of spelling and grammar under the influence
of Microsoft products and their inbuilt spelling checkers. Many users
accept the automatic revisions without thinking. Communications on the
Internet reinforce a common language dominated by an overwhelming number
of US speakers and US websites. The operating system itself contains words
which are quickly absorbed into the language as words - quit
- or metaphors - desktop.
9 Social change
Whenever any culture has superiority in any sphere its language is likely
to lead the way - French words for cooking, fencing, ballet; German words
for war, climbing; US words for marketing, rock music, youth culture,
technology.
Shifts in formality cause the language to shift too, bringing in slang,
jargon, accent, dialect, where it may not have existed before and replacing
deference and respectful titles with familliarity and equality.
Social accents and registers draw new lines to define new relationships.
Jane Austen's character says: "Mr Darcy made love to me in the carriage!"
meaning that he made overtures of love, rather than full sexual intercourse.
Another aspect of this is now referred to as "Political
Correctness" so that certain words and phrases are no longer acceptable
in society - US army terms such as "take out" and "collateral
damage" as euphemisms for "kill" and "dead";
"coon", "nigger" replaced by African
American; "piss" which is acceptable in Shakespeare,
becomes "pee" in the 19th century and almost makes it back into
common use in the 20th.
10 Scientific and
technological discoveries, new concepts
Video, television, tele- everything, hyper- virtual, cyber ....
Aqualung (1950) Belisha (minister of transport 1931-7); Chicane (1955);
Down’s syndrome (1961); Ecstacy ; FAX; Gortex; Hippy (1953); Input
(computers, 1964); Jumbo Jet (1964); Karate (1955); Laser (1960); Mac
(computer 1984); Napalm 1946); Overkill (1958); Pelican (crossing 1966);
Quark (1964); Radar (1942); Sputnik (1957); Thalidomide (1958); Unisex
(1969); Videotape (1953); Woofer (1940); Xerox (1950s?); Zoom (photography
1959)
Likely changes include:
- loss of the apostrophe and perhaps the semi colon
- some simplification of spelling on American lines
- loss of whom
- they instead of he / she, their
instead of his/her
- increase in computer vocab including metaphor (as
video has with fast forward), and effects of e-mail informal US-based
vocabulary
- more standardisation from software wizards and automatic
spell checks (see that preferred to which)
- effects from non-native speakers (simplification?)
- less coordination of sentences
- acronyms, blends and contractions
- vocabulary, syntax and idiom, as always...
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