Attitudes towards
language changes in this article have been compared to fashion as in the fact
it is ever changing. However fashion 'trends' come in and out of popularity
with the public which is similar to language however if language changes such
as new words being formed they are more likely to be linked to the public’s use
and demand of the word and due to the persons dialect or area they are from
they cannot escape the use of it. similarly with fashion you can choose what
you wear and due to social influence and media there is somewhat a little bit
of pressure to represent these new 'trends' which shows progression in language
or fashion to remain within the modern era.
Simon Heffer "
Even when armed with fine intentions, one can still fall into traps" this
can show that even in our best intension to not "be a sheep" and
follow the trends of language we make mistakes and from popularity we fall in
to the loop of ever changing language following trends, dropping words we no
longer use of deem to be outdated and continually use the upcoming more frequently
used language.
Prescriptivists favour rules that identify ‘correct’
language usage. They disapprove of uses of language that breaks these rules.
Jean Aitchison is a
descriptivist. She attacks the prescriptivist view in her three language myths
that she feels are false
The Crumbling Castle
myth suggests that English was a once great castle, but over time it has
decayed and crumbled into the sea. She states this is false because the description
of English as a ‘once fine language ‘is a particularly inaccurate one, as
language is constantly changing and evolving. “No year,” she said, “can be
found when language achieved some peak of perfection.”
The Damp Spoon myth suggests that ‘bad English’ sticks to
people who are lazy and passive. The laziness is reflected by the people that
put the damp spoon into the sugar bowl. Aitchison, though, states that “the
only lazy speech is drunken speech” and that speaking quickly, for example,
isn’t a sign of laziness – it is anything but. However from this theory
laziness of language has come to develop and change words in which we use daily
which can be a quicker more informative way of communicating, so being lazy may
not necessarily be a bad thing as it has also enhanced our language and
contributed to language change.
The Infectious Disease myth suggests that ‘bad English’ is
like a horrible disease, like herpes, that spreads from person to person. We
have no control or vaccine. It is coming to get you! Aitchison suggests that
the idea that changes are ‘caught’ and ‘spread’ is technically correct, but it
is no disease. People pick up changes in language because they want to. It is a personal decision to use the changing langugae however we may be heavily influenced through media, socially and popularity this can easily sway us to use this new language and the more common use of this makes it normal to sue the changed language so sometimes it may be more unusual to not use the new changes.
“Random fluctuation
can also occur subconsciously, and during this process, the sounds gradually
drift from their original pronunciation - missing the 'target' of the bull's
eye."
Through Jean Aitcheson’s metaphors it is suggested change is
like and "infectious disease” through a wide use of changed language it
spreads, becomes more widely and frequently used.
https://a2englishlanguagerevision.wikispaces.com/Attitudes+towards+Change+and+Variation
