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November 25, 2005
Chapter 11 Language Evolution
In spoken language I believe, relatively speaking, lexicon would be changing fastest. We adapt words and create new ones constantly to describe newly created inventions and procedures, new generations coin new words to give voice to their experience of the world and the connotations of words change constantly, albeit subtly.
Changes in pronunciation may take longer and only be obvious to us, Fromkin says (504), as dialect differences. Fromkin also points out that a speaker’s pronunciation may change without their grammar changing. In other words, while in our lifetime our common use of language may change in the manner that we speak it, our formal understanding of the language does not necessarily alter.
I believe that syntax would take the longest to change because, like our formal understanding of language, it is linked to prescribed grammar and therefore follows certain rules.
Like adults babies learn words and not sentences. They are first able to comprehend the meaning of words and then they begin to try to use these words to communicate. Baby talk is the result of their struggle to correctly pronounce these words. Once they are able to use words they are able to begin stringing them together to form sentences, their use of syntax will be encouraged and regulated informally as they copy the manner in which adults use word order to convey meaning and formally through correction from adults and teachers.
~ Nanette
Posted by lcissavides at November 25, 2005 09:30 AM