Podcast
Questions and Answers
Causes of language change 1. Physiological basis a. insertion aemtig (p) empty b. deletion sendan (d) > sent c. assimilation OE wifman > Mod. E woman , OE c~ped >Mod.E kept e 2. Cognitive basis a. analogy ring, rang, rung”, “sing-sang-sung”, “bring” become “brang” and “brung as (stanas, “stones”), -en (nama, “names”), -u (scipu, “ships”), and -a (suna, “sons”) were replaced by “-es b. re-analyis hamburger > cheeseburger ,“an adder” (“serpent”, “snake”, apron > napkin, nounpere > umpire, efata > newt, ekename > nickname, asphodelos > daffodil, de/disport > sport, c. folk etymology asparagus > sparrowgrass, femina > female, masculus > male, berfroi > belfry, cucaracha > cockroach, muskrat (musquash), helpmate (help meet), cesspool (cessperalle) Hungarian examples: tubarózsa, kárókatona, durrdefekt, hóhányó, vérfarkas 3. Language contact a. substratum: The influence of a politically inferior language on a superior one. Gaelic words in English: whisky, kilt, shamrock, hooligan, bog, bard, clan, slogan, trousers b. adstratum: The influence of an “equal” language on another one. Viking: take, get, give, bake, skirt, skin, skip, and sky c. superstratum: When a dominant language spreads words in an “inferior” one.
Causes of language change 1. Physiological basis a. insertion aemtig (p) empty b. deletion sendan (d) > sent c. assimilation OE wifman > Mod. E woman , OE c~ped >Mod.E kept e 2. Cognitive basis a. analogy ring, rang, rung”, “sing-sang-sung”, “bring” become “brang” and “brung as (stanas, “stones”), -en (nama, “names”), -u (scipu, “ships”), and -a (suna, “sons”) were replaced by “-es b. re-analyis hamburger > cheeseburger ,“an adder” (“serpent”, “snake”, apron > napkin, nounpere > umpire, efata > newt, ekename > nickname, asphodelos > daffodil, de/disport > sport, c. folk etymology asparagus > sparrowgrass, femina > female, masculus > male, berfroi > belfry, cucaracha > cockroach, muskrat (musquash), helpmate (help meet), cesspool (cessperalle) Hungarian examples: tubarózsa, kárókatona, durrdefekt, hóhányó, vérfarkas 3. Language contact a. substratum: The influence of a politically inferior language on a superior one. Gaelic words in English: whisky, kilt, shamrock, hooligan, bog, bard, clan, slogan, trousers b. adstratum: The influence of an “equal” language on another one. Viking: take, get, give, bake, skirt, skin, skip, and sky c. superstratum: When a dominant language spreads words in an “inferior” one.
