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Key Theory Fact Sheet
WORD FORMATION
1. Peak of use
2. A rapid increase in the use of slang
3. A level off when the popularity declines
CHEN’S S CURVE
4. Falls from use and is only used by a small social group
MODEL
e.g., Archaism: ‘groovy’
Suggests slang is ever-changing.
Slang enriches the language – used for brevity and convenience, not
a case of falling standards
KEY QUOTES:
DAVID CRYSTAL
“Trying to resist language change is like swimming against the tide”
“People use slang to be a part of the gang”
Key Idea: Language adapts to lexical needs and must evolve to
DESCRIPTIVISM
support communication needs
Aitchison highlighted prescriptivist attitudes such as:
Crumbing castle: language must be preserved like a historical
monument
AITCHISON
Damp spoon view: non-standard language results from laziness (tbh,
brb)
Infectious disease view: we ‘catch’ non-standard language from
others (bae, dab, like [filler])
LANGUAGE CHANGE
Key Theory Fact Sheet
WORD FORMATION
1. Peak of use
2. A rapid increase in the use of slang
3. A level off when the popularity declines
CHEN’S S CURVE
4. Falls from use and is only used by a small social group
MODEL
e.g., Archaism: ‘groovy’
Suggests slang is ever-changing.
Slang enriches the language – used for brevity and convenience, not
a case of falling standards
KEY QUOTES:
DAVID CRYSTAL
“Trying to resist language change is like swimming against the tide”
“People use slang to be a part of the gang”
Key Idea: Language adapts to lexical needs and must evolve to
DESCRIPTIVISM
support communication needs
Aitchison highlighted prescriptivist attitudes such as:
Crumbing castle: language must be preserved like a historical
monument
AITCHISON
Damp spoon view: non-standard language results from laziness (tbh,
brb)
Infectious disease view: we ‘catch’ non-standard language from
others (bae, dab, like [filler])
LANGUAGE CHANGE
