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L23B: Sociolinguistics 2005-2006. Please Turn off all cellular phones & pagers. L23B Website: www.mona.uwi.edu/dllp/courses/l23 b. Course Assessment . Incourse Test (40% of total grade) TEST DATE: MONDAY, APRIL 3, 2006 (2-4pm) Final Exam (60% of total grade) .
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L23B: Sociolinguistics 2005-2006 Please Turn off all cellular phones & pagers L23B Website: www.mona.uwi.edu/dllp/courses/l23b
Course Assessment • Incourse Test (40% of total grade) TEST DATE: MONDAY, APRIL 3, 2006 (2-4pm) • Final Exam (60% of total grade)
Topics for this Session • Brief Review • Language Change • Internally vs. Externally motivated change • Change in Progress
Language Change • Readings (Foundation): Wardhaugh – chapter 8 Janet Holmes - chapter 8
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…
Language Change (Holmes – chapter 8) Process: • New form develops • New form usedalongside an existing form • if the new form spreads then change is in progress • if it eventually dispatches the old form, the change is complete
How do changes Spread? (Janet Holmes, page#200) • From group to group • From style to style • From word to word
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
Language Change Evidence of Change taken from: • Poetry/ old literature • Comparative Construction
Language Change Traditional View: distinction between • Internally motivated (change overtime in language used in a community – but withno language contact as causative agent). • Externally motivated (resulting from contact with another language variety or other speakers)
Language change in progress Examples of Researches • Chambers & Trudgill (1980) • Labov’s work - Martha’s Vineyard –Wardhaugh (pg.197) • Trudgill’s work in Norwich
Why do languages change? Linguistic Reasons: • articulation • analogy
Why do languages change? Social Reasons: • geographical movement • invention (e.g. wheel, camera) • imperfect learning • prestige
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