Summary
Summary English Language theories.
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short summary of different theories taught in a level english language.
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Theories of
Functional theory.
Essentially the idea that language changes according to the NEEDS of its users- in order to please or meet the needs of its users and receivers.
A NEED is identified- whether that is a need to make language simpler and easier for a label for a new experience or invention etc-staycation.
Other examples of the functional theory is use… many years ago words which were part of English speech such as ‘hast’ and ‘wilt’ have now
langu
dropped out of use and have been replaced with the ‘easier to say’ verbs ‘have’ and ‘will’.
Grammatical irregularities. Theory of lexical gaps.
age
Aitchison identifies that language is under pressure to regularise irregular grammatical forms,
DOVE into the water> DIVED into the water.
And the neatening up of noun plurals
Where a process, experience, viewpoint,
invention or ideas needs a label, the potential
exists for a new word
Oxen, housen, shoen… are now oxen houses and shoes Morphemes can be invented, recombined or
chang
Referred to in Aitchison’s Reith lecture as ‘tidying up loose ends’
Pronunciation issues.
converted in order TO MEET A NEED, and will
usually do so in ways which conform to the
inherit patterns of the language.
NB derivational morphology: word creation
Essentially referring to internal weaknesses in the language itself and the way it is spoken.
e.
Such as the ARTICULATORY DIFFICULTY of expressing the /t/ phoneme (when unstressed) at the through adding affixes to create… - new word
end of a syllable an ‘inherent weakness’ in the language system that leads to its deletion in such classes (to sense/ sensation= verb/ noun). –
contexts as ‘when we go[t] there’ antonyms: (un)lucky, (ex-)wife, (de-)stress
Handbag- hambag Inflectional morphology: bound morphemes
Loss of schwa in more frequently used words… (such as /s/ being used t create the
Loss of schwa syllable in words such as cursory, adultery, century, slavery, factory etc.… permutations of a word without changing its
Once a change of this type has occurred, hearers often judge the older, outmoded form to be essential meaning eg: - student/ students/
pedantic and less ‘streamlined’… student’s.
We used to say ‘tomb’ and ‘lamb’ as they are written…
Substratum theory.
When immigrants come to a new area, or when an indigenous population learns the language of newly arrived conquerors, they learn their adopted language
imperfectly…
Handing on these slight imperfections to their children and to other people in their social circle, and eventually altering the language…
Carrying over features of their original language into their adopted one.
(this would explain features of multicultural London English, such as substitution of [th] with [d] in dat man. It has been predicted that this is likely to become a feature of
global English, because of the inherent difficulty for non-native speakers of articulating this phoneme.)
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