Language Change: Inheritance vs. Diffusion

Questions and Answers

What describes lexical diffusion in sound change?

It leads to the complete loss of certain phonemes in a language.

It is always applied uniformly to all words simultaneously.

It affects only vowels in a language.

It can be either abrupt or gradual, affecting words at different rates. (correct)

What does inheritance in linguistic terms primarily refer to?

The inheritance of language features along familial lines.

The process of learning a new language.

The borrowing of words from other languages.

The transmission of information across generations over time. (correct)

Which of the following statements about language transmission is correct?

It is solely reliant on written records.

It does not consider the role of children in language learning.

It requires an unbroken sequence of native-language acquisition. (correct)

It only occurs in isolated communities.

How does adaptation impact linguistic and cultural traits?

It promotes similarity among culturally similar groups in proximity. Signup and view all the answers

What can influence both diffusion and inheritance according to Borgerhoff Mulder et al.?

Cultural adaptation of well-adapted traits. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes the process of diffusion in language?

It involves horizontal transmission between languages or cultures in contact. Signup and view all the answers

How does the Family Tree Model primarily conceptualize language change?

Through a linear progression from ancestors to descendants. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Wave Model entail regarding language change?

Language changes originate from a single point and expand to nearby communities. Signup and view all the answers

In what context do wave effects in language become particularly evident?

Within regions exhibiting extended bilingualism or language contact. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes the Northern Cities Shift according to the studies mentioned?

It illustrates the borrowing of individual sound changes across different locations. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Inheritance vs. Diffusion

Languages may become similar or dissimilar due to various factors including borrowing, inheritance, and adaptation.
Borrowing involves the diffusion of cultural and linguistic elements between languages or cultures in contact.
Inheritance refers to the transmission of attributes from a common ancestral language.

Diffusion

Defined as a horizontal transmission where different language speakers acquire information from each other.
Diffusion can weaken original linguistic patterns and may lead to a loss of structural features.
Evidence of diffusion noted in studies of geographic language changes:
- The New York City pattern of tensing short-a diffuses to communities like northern New Jersey and Cincinnati, losing structural constraints.
- The Northern Cities Shift spreads from Chicago to Saint Louis, demonstrating borrowing of sound changes rather than structural diffusion.

Family Tree and Wave Models

Family Tree Model: Traditional comparative method defining languages as branches from a common ancestor.
Wave Model (Wellentheorie):
- Proposed by Hugo Schuchardt and Johannes Schmidt in the 1870s as an alternative to the Family Tree Model.
- Language change spreads like waves, originating from a central point and extending to adjacent groups.
- Changes may overlap, and distinct branches of languages can influence one another in bilingual contexts.

Bilingualism and Pidgin/Creole Formation

Extended bilingualism can lead to change, fostering the development of pidgins and creoles.
Major Sprachbund areas are characterized by shared features across unrelated language families.

Lexical Diffusion

Refers to how sound changes affect the vocabulary of a language.
Lexically Abrupt Change: All words change at the same rate.
Lexically Gradual Change: Individual words change at varying rates over time.
Deretroflexion in South Dravidian languages likely involved diffusion, noted similarly in Indo-Aryan languages.

Inheritance

Defined as vertical transmission of language attributes through generations.
Linguistic similarity decreases over time as groups diverge from a common ancestor, indicating possible migration.
Language transmission occurs through an unbroken sequence of child language acquisition.

Adaptation

Promotes similarity among cultures in similar environments, typically in geographic proximity.
Adaptation influences both diffusion and inheritance, as well-adapted traits are more likely to be borrowed or inherited.

Description

Explore the concepts of inheritance and diffusion in language evolution. This quiz delves into how cultural and linguistic elements interact and affect languages over time. Understand the family tree and wave models that illustrate these linguistic phenomena.