Language Change

What is diachronic change?

• study of the history and evolution of language

• study of language at a particular point in time

What is synchronic change?

• study of the history and evolution of language

• study of language at a particular point in time

The creation of new words

• coinage

• neologisms

• affixation

• compounding

To take a word from a foreign language and integrate it into your language

• neologisms

• conversion

• blending

• borrowing

Which of these are ways of forming new words by shortening?

• clipping

• initialism

• acronyms

• back-formation

When new words change class from noun to verb. (ie 'mail' became 'to mail')

• conversion

• compounding

• affixation

• borrowing

What are archaisms?

• words that become obsolete

• words that are no longer in use

• ancient hieroglyphics

• translated words in other languages

What is semantic change?

• change in meaning

• change in orthography

• change in grammar

Which are different ways of forming new words?

• scientific progress

• eponym (name of person after which something is named)

• proprietary names (name of brand becomes the common label)

• archaisms

Which is an example of an eponym?

• kindergarten

• Braille

• Kleenex

• Cyborg