Modelling Change 2

Q: Modelling Change

__Aitchison’s__ PIDC model documents the timeline of how language changes. __Halliday__ believes that language changes as a result of the needs and requirements of the users of the language.

Q: Other Theories

__Hockett’s__ theory accounts for errors. Substratum theory explains how changes can be made as a result of interactions with other languages and variations of English.

Q: __Crystal__ & __Aitchison__

__Crystal__ describes language changing as being like the tide. __Aitchison__ created 3 models to describe attitudes towards language change.

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Modelling Change

Aitchison’s PIDC model documents the timeline of how language changes. Halliday believes that language changes as a result of the needs and requirements of the users of the language.

Jean Aitchison

One of the most influential and important linguists for language change is Jean Aitchison.
Aitchison’s PIDC model documents the timeline of how language changes...

Aitchison’s PIDC model

Potential – there is the gap or potential for change.
Implementation – the change occurs.
Diffusion – the change spreads.
Codification – the change is made official (e.g. being added to the dictionary).

Halliday

Halliday believes that language changes as a result of the needs and requirements of the users of the language.
This can work in two ways...

Halliday’s functional theory

Lexical gaps – there is a gap in the lexicon for something which needs describing.
- For example, ‘laptop’.

Halliday’s functional theory cont.

Function shifts – where a word exists, but we need a different word class.
For example, ‘Google’ as:
- A noun (‘I found it on Google’).
- A verb (‘I’ll Google it’).
- An adjective (‘A Google search’).

Other Theories

Hockett’s theory accounts for errors. Substratum theory explains how changes can be made as a result of interactions with other languages and variations of English.

Hockett’s ‘random fluctuation’ theory

Hockett’s theory accounts for errors.
He says that when someone makes an error (a ‘random fluctuation’ in the standard), these errors can be standardised and recognised as somewhat synonymous.
- For example, iPhones famously autocorrect ‘fuck’ and ‘fucking’ to ‘duck’ and ‘ducking’, sparking social media attention and memes.

Substratum theory

Substratum theory explains how changes can be made as a result of interactions with other languages and variations of English.
- For example, British English saw an increase in the use of ‘like’ as an intensifier as a result of American English use of it on TV shows like FRIENDS.

Substratum changes

The most common explanation for substratum changes include:
- The media (the above example).
- Invasion (the French invasion of 1066).
- Immigration (as in MLE).
- Through travel and exploration (as in the birth of America).

Crystal & Aitchison

Crystal describes language changing as being like the tide. Aitchison created 3 models to describe attitudes towards language change.

David Crystal’s tide metaphor

Crystal describes language changing as being like the tide – new things get washed up on shore and the tide takes other things away.
Sometimes things make it onto the beach permanently, others only momentarily.

David Crystal’s tide metaphor cont.

In addition, there are never two tides exactly the same – some tides will only impact certain parts of the beach.
The metaphor explains that all change is different, lasts differing amounts of time and affects different groups of people.

Aitchison’s prescriptivist attitudes

Aitchison created 3 models to describe attitudes towards language change.
However it is important to note that Aitchison does not believe that language change is any of these things – quite the opposite – she is a descriptivist.
These are attitudes which prescriptivists have.

Damp spoon syndrome

Damp spoon syndrome:
- This stems from the distasteful act of leaving a damp spoon in a bowl of sugar.
- This implies that people are lazy and disrespectful of language.
  - For example, the growing trend of ‘g-dropping’.

Infectious disease assumption

Infectious disease assumption:
- This is all about the idea that changes are like germs which spread and infect the language.
  - For example, text language is often described as infecting our language.