Terms
The coexistence of many possible meanings for a word or phrase.
Polysemy.
What are some examples of Substandard English?
"Ain't", "gonna", "wanna".
A word formed from the initial letters of other words but pronounced as individual letters.
Initialism
A linguistic principle that describes a systematic sound shift in the consonants of Proto-Indo-European (PIE) languages as they evolved into Proto-Germanic.
PIE pater → Proto-Germanic faðēr (father).
Grimm's Law
What is Semantic Shift? Name the types.
The term semantic change refers to how the meaning of words changes over time. The main types are narrowing, broadening, amelioration, pejoration.
A word or phrase borrowed from another language by translating it literally.
Calque
What is jargon in the context of Substandard English?
A vocabulary specific to a group of people.
A word formed by merging parts of two words.
Blend
The addition of one or more sounds into a word
Epenthesis
The process by which a word’s meaning worsens or becomes more negative.
Pejoration
Changing the form of a word (e.g., for tense, case, number) without altering its basic meaning
Inflection
How can Substandard English affect the speaker’s perception?
It may create an impression of informality or carelessness.
The invention of new words.
Coinage
The loss of a sound or syllable at the beginning of a word.
Apheresis
Name the process.
Holiday (Old English hāligdæg) → Originally referred to a religious day, now any day of celebration or break.
Broadening
The everyday language spoken by ordinary people in a particular region.
Vernacular
What is the main advantage of Standard English?
Clarity, universality, and understanding.
A word derived from the name of a place.
Toponym
The transposition of sounds or letters in a word.
Metathesis
Fowl (Old English fugol) is an example of semantic narrowing.
True. Fowl originally meant any bird, now refers specifically to domesticated poultry.
The omission of a repeated sound or syllable in a word.
Haplology
What cultural features define Substandard expressions in English?
Regional differences, social context.
Different variations of a morpheme that appear in different contexts.
Allomorph
A linguistic principle that explains certain exceptions to Grimm's Law in the evolution of Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic. (It describes how the voiceless fricatives became voiced).
PIE septm̥ → Proto-Germanic sebun (seven)
Verner's Law
Name the semantic shift of the word "terrific" (originally meant causing terror)
Amelioration. Nowadays it means excellent or fantastic.