Concept of Linguistic Change
Main types of difference in language:
geographical
social
temporal.
Linguistic changes imply temporal differences, which become apparent if the same elements or parts of the language are compared at successive historical stages;
Linguistic changes are classified and described in accordance with linguistic levels:
phonetic and phonological changes (also sound changes),
spelling changes,
grammatical changes, including morphology and syntax,
lexical and stylistic changes.
At these levels further subdivisions are made: phonetic changes include vowel and consonant changes, qualitative and quantitative changes, positional and independent changes, and so on. Changes at the higher levels fall into formal and semantic, since they can affect the plane of expression and the plane of content; semantic changes, in their turn, may take various forms: narrowing or widening of meaning, metaphoric and metonymic changes, etc.
Causes of Language Evolution
The moving power underlying the development of language is made up of two main forces:
the growing and changing needs of man in the speech community;
the resisting force that curbs the changes and preserves the language in a state fit for communication.
Classification of factors
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external or extralinguistic
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internal (also intra-linguistic and systemic)
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a variety of conditions bearing upon different aspects of human life, for instance, the psychological or the physiological aspects. In the first place, however, extralinguistic factors include events in the history of the people relevant to the development of the language, such as the structure of society, expansion over new geographical areas, migrations, mixtures and separation of tribes, political and economic unity or disunity, contacts with other peoples, the progress of culture and literature. These aspects of external history determine the linguistic situation and affect the
evolution of the language.
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Internal factors of language evolution arise from the language system. They can be subdivided into general factors or general regularities, which operate in all languages as inherent properties of any language system, and specific factors operating in one language or in a group of related languages at a certain period of time.
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