LANGUAGE

CHANGE
Mr. Sutarno, M.Pd, as the Lecturer of Sociolinguistics

......................Group 2………..………..
1. Sellia Lestari (18050008)
2. Lu’lu Nazhiroh (18050023)
3. Dwi Cahya Harsani (18050048)
Language
change
Definition !!!
Language change is the phenomenon by which
permanent alterations are made in the features and
the use of a language over time.

All natural languages change, and language

change affects all areas of language use.
Types of language change include sound
changes, lexical changes, semantic
changes, and syntactic changes.
Variation &
Change
Language varies in three major ways which are over time, in
physical space, and socially.

Language change variation over time has its origins in

spatial (or regional) and social variation. The source of
change over time is always current variation. So the regional
and social variants described in the previous three chapters
provide the basis for language change over time.
Post Vocalic “r”
I t s S p r e a d & I t s S t a t u s

So the pronunciation of “r” in English speaking

communities provides a wealth of examples of
the complexity of linguistic variation and
language change, as well as the arbitrariness of
the forms which happen to be standard in any
community.

While “r”-less speech is the prestigious form

which is still spreading in England, in some parts
of America it is the rhotic variety which is
interesting.
The spread of
Vernacular forms
It is easy to understand that a pronunciation which is
considered prestigious will be imitated, and will spread through
a community. But there are also many examples of vernacular
pronunciations which have spread throughout speech
communities.
Not all linguistic changes involve adopting new forms from
outside the speech community. Nor do they always
involve forms which people are conscious of as prestigious
forms.
 How Do Changes Spread?
From group to group
Many linguists have used the metaphor of waves to explain how linguistic changes spread
through a community. Social factors such as age, status, gender and region affect the rates of
change and the directions in which the waves roll most swiftly. The wave metaphor is one useful
way of visualizing the spread of a change from one group to another.

From Style to Style

In the speech of a particular individual it suggests the change spreads from one style to another
(say from more formal speech to more casual speech), while at the same time it spreads from
one individual to another within a social group, and subsequently from one social group to
another.

From Word to Word

It seems to be the case that sound changes not only spread from one person to another and
from one style to another style, they also spread from one word to another. Sound changes
spread through different words one by one. This is called lexical diffusion. When a sound
change begins, all the words with a particular vowel don’t change at once in the speech of a
community.
 How Do WE STUDY
LANGUAGE CHANGE???
Apparent time studies of Language change in
language change
A great deal of linguistic
real time
variation is stable but some is
an indication of linguistic Sometimes, however, it is
change in progress. A steady possible to build on the work
increase or steady decline in the of earlier linguists when
frequency of a form by age studying change.
group suggests to a sociolinguist
Dictionaries which provide a
that a change may be in
progress in the speech
date when a form was first
community, whereas a bell- noted can assist in tracing
shaped pattern is more typical changes in vocabulary over
of stable variation. time.
 Reason Of Language
Change ???
Social status and language change
There is still a great deal of research and discussion about which social
groups introduce linguistic changes. One answer seems to be that a
linguistic change may enter a speech community through social group,
but that different types of change are associated with different groups.

Gender and language change

Differences in women’s and men’s speech are another source of variation which
can result in linguistic change. Sometimes women are the innovators, leading a
linguistic change, and sometimes men. Women tend to be associated with
changes towards both prestige and vernacular norms, whereas men more often
introduce vernacular changes.

Interaction and language change

Interaction and contact between people is curcial in providing the channels
for linguistics change, as previous example hve implied. Linguistics change
generally progreses most slowly in tightly knit communities which have
little contact with the outside world.