Is Transmission of Linguistic Change limited to Social Factors?

Abstract or Introduction

Linguistic change can be studied from various perspectives and each viewpoint offers different insights into this phenomenon. Among social factors, there are also functional, typological, generative and external causes involved in the process of linguistic change. In order to gain an understanding of the meaning of linguistic transmission it is important to first consider the distinction between transmission of change within languages and diffusion of change across languages with regard to the family tree model and its notion of linguistic descent. This knowledge provides the foundation for the generative approach, which facilitates the discourse on transmission of linguistic change with regard to children’s innate predisposition towards language learning and a biological grammar inherent to the human faculty of language.

To further expand on the relevance of internal factors, the ease of effort theory evaluates from a functionalist perspective how natural tendencies influence the course of language evolution and thereby, the transmission of language change. Finally, the juxtaposition of the diachronic and synchronic dimension offers to consider a reformed approach towards the different perspectives on language change in a more holistic way. In doing so, the close relations between the approaches can serve as basis for the discussion on the overall significance of internal, external, social, linguistic, biological, acquisitional, typological and functional factors involved in the transmission of linguistic change. In essence, this essay aims to illustrate the variety of factors that are involved in the transmission of linguistic change and thereby demonstrate that, even though language change is naturally embedded in the social environment of a language space, it is not limited to social factors.