Language change and variation is a problematic issue to teachers because it tries to destandardize a language and cause trouble in students’ language learning. This essay focuses is divided into four parts. It will first define the difference between lexical change and lexical variation in English, then it would investigate in the the reasons why there are such lexical changes. After lexical change, lexical variations would be analyzed according to their characteristics and taxonomized into different types. The essay would end with an educational implication relating to teaching of vocabulary.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Distinction between lexical change and lexical variation in English
3. Causes for English lexical change: Social Network Influence
4. Causes for English lexical change: Becoming a norm in a speech community
5. Causes for English lexical change: Prevalence of a Variation by Community of Practice
6. Causes for English lexical change: Flawed familial language acquisition
7. Major types of lexical variation: Intra-speaker variations
8. Major types of lexical variation: Inter-speaker variations
9. Learning and Teaching of Variations
10. Conclusion
Objectives and Core Topics
This essay aims to explore the mechanisms of language change and variation, specifically focusing on how social, familial, and community factors influence lexical shifts, while discussing the practical implications for language education.
- Theoretical distinction between lexical change and lexical variation.
- Impact of social networks and communities of practice on language evolution.
- Role of flawed familial language acquisition in linguistic shifts.
- Intra-speaker and inter-speaker variations (social class, gender, ethnicity).
- Pedagogical challenges and the necessity of incorporating local English varieties into teaching.
Excerpt from the Book
Causes for English lexical change: Social Network Influence
Microspectively, the social network view in sociolinguistics proposes that there are three kinds of personal network that can influence a person’s language use, including lexical change. Milardo (1988) proposed that the ‘exchange network’ includes personal ties that a person interacts frequently for the purpose of getting help and support, such as in the case of a teacher-student, while the ‘interactive network’ includes personal ties which a person interacts frequently but without the purpose of getting any help or support, such as in a customer-shopkeeper relationship (p.26-36). Li (1994) proposed that the passive network, which includes people which a person interacts rarely but are still of value to the extent that it may cause some linguistic influence on the person, such as remote relatives. Through these networks, If a novel lexical feature by chance successfully appeared somewhere, the person who has the largest amount of people in his exchange network and interactive network using this new lexical feature would be most likely influenced by such a feature. Social networks, therefore, determines the pattern how language spreads and influences a community. By using the social network model, we can explain why certain lexical change can have a far-reaching influence and some do not, by analyzing the social network patterns around the origin where the pattern first appeared.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The author outlines the scope of the essay, defining the problem of language change for educators and setting out the four-part structure of the analysis.
2. Distinction between lexical change and lexical variation in English: This section clarifies the difference between temporal changes in word choice and regional or social variations occurring at the same time.
3. Causes for English lexical change: Social Network Influence: The chapter explores how different types of personal networks (exchange, interactive, and passive) facilitate the spread of linguistic features.
4. Causes for English lexical change: Becoming a norm in a speech community: This part examines how shared community norms, based on social boundaries like race and class, establish linguistic changes.
5. Causes for English lexical change: Prevalence of a Variation by Community of Practice: The author details the three stages of variation development within a community of practice: mutual engagement, jointly negotiated enterprise, and shared repertoire.
6. Causes for English lexical change: Flawed familial language acquisition: This chapter highlights children as contributors to language change due to the imperfect replication of parental language patterns.
7. Major types of lexical variation: Intra-speaker variations: The text discusses how individuals shift language based on context (register) or identity.
8. Major types of lexical variation: Inter-speaker variations: This section addresses how groups differ based on social class, gender, and ethnicity.
9. Learning and Teaching of Variations: The author argues against the rigid adherence to standard English at the expense of local varieties, using the example of Hong Kong English.
10. Conclusion: The summary reiterates the factors driving lexical shifts and calls for teachers to adapt their methods to include relevant local linguistic changes.
Keywords
Lexical change, Lexical variation, Sociolinguistics, Social network, Community of practice, Language acquisition, Intra-speaker variation, Inter-speaker variation, Speech community, Hong Kong English, Register variation, Language teaching, Identity, Dialect.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this essay?
The essay examines the factors driving lexical change and variation in the English language and explores how these linguistic phenomena should be addressed in educational settings.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The work covers sociolinguistic theories of language change, the role of social networks and communities of practice, familial acquisition processes, and the implications of linguistic variation for language teachers.
What is the main objective or research question of the work?
The primary goal is to investigate why lexical change occurs and how educators can better accommodate both standard and local language variations in the classroom.
Which scientific methods are employed in this study?
The author uses a literature-based analytical approach, synthesizing sociolinguistic models and theories from researchers like Labov, Milardo, and Wenger to explain lexical shifts.
What core topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body addresses the causes of language change (social networks, community norms, familial acquisition) and the types of variation (intra-speaker vs. inter-speaker based on class, gender, and ethnicity).
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include lexical change, sociolinguistics, social network, community of practice, language teaching, and intra-speaker/inter-speaker variation.
How does familial language acquisition contribute to lexical change?
The author explains that children do not perfectly mirror their parents' vocabulary, introducing variations that contribute to ongoing linguistic change.
Why does the author advocate for the inclusion of "Hong Kong English" in schools?
The author argues that dismissing local expressions as "wrong" ignores the reality of language use in a community, and suggests that teachers should validate local context rather than strictly adhering to dictionaries.
- Quote paper
- Bachelor of Education (Music) Kwan Lung Chan (Author), 2017, Change and variation of English lexis and its educational implication, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/448226
