Next week we will be starting the Language Change module, so today you are going to be doing some preparatory research into the topic.
Language is in a constant state of change. Language changes because the way in which we use it, and our experience of the world, is constantly evolving and the language we use needs to keep up with these developments.
In 2013, Oxford Dictionaries identified 'selfie' as the most popular new word, and 'selfie' is not the only word to enter the language to reflect our social experiences. One of the main reasons for studying change is that we require language to express what's going on around us, and that often means we need to invent new words to describe new things and new experiences. The emergence of the 'selfie' points to key technological development, the need to record all aspects of out lives prompted by the rise of social media, with cameras built into phones allowing us to easily share our photographs with the world.
Task 1:
Look at the list of new words that have been added to the Oxford Dictionary last year. How many of these words do you know? Make a list of them on your blog along with the definitions.
Task 2 - Attitudes
There are a few different attitudes toward language change. Your task is to learn and define the following terms which express attitude:
- Prescriptivism
- Descriptivism
- Synchronic change
Task 3 - Attitudes to Language Change & Technology
The following TED talk and 3 articles are all about the relationship between language and texting. You may remember looking at the TED talk in your AS study. Watch and read them and make notes on the viewpoints of the writers and speaker. Do they display a descriptivist or prescriptivist attitude?
Finally, express your opinion on text speak. Has it had a negative effect on language? How do you text?
If you finish these tasks before the end of the lesson come to me for an extension task.
Claudia
