How New Words Are Created And How It Affects Language As A Whole

The Transformation of a Term

It seems that communication is something that comes naturally to people. Children learn language from their parents. But the languages of today are different than the languages of ancient civilizations. Although there are some similarities, language has been evolving over time.

Nearly all people can communicate with one another through some kind of language. But very few people know how languages evolve. Many languages have merged to create new languages. Others have combined into one language. A few languages have disappeared completely. How is it possible for an entire language to change in a short time without anyone noticing? How does a language change without the majority of the population being aware? What makes one set of letters a valid word and another a nonsense word? Many dictionaries update every year. Every new edition brings new words and definitions. A formerly unofficial word becomes official.

Every new invention must have a matching word. Merriam-Webster Dictionary sites that new words can be created in many ways, including borrowing and back-formation. These processes all contribute to the creation and addition of new words to the dictionary. Luke Mastin writes in “Language Issues-How New Words Are Created”

Many of the English words are new, often without any etymological heritage. One example of this is the dog word. It is etymologically not related to any other word and was mysteriously replaced by the Old English word “hound” (or “hund”), which it had been serving for centuries.

Borrowing words from other languages is another way to add words to a language. Bill Bryson’s The Mother Tongue claims that the English language adopted 10,000 Norman French words in 1066. Three quarters of them are still in common use (55). Bryson also mentions in his book a variety of words that were borrowed from languages other than English, such as Indian, Chinese, Greek and Latin.

Many words are now almost impossible to recognize from their original form. Others bear striking similarities to their origins. Others are still created by truncation. This is where old words get shortened to create new vocabulary. And blending, which involves the addition of multiple words to create one word. To be accepted into the dictionary, a word must become popular once it is created. Words don’t come about overnight. They are created through repetition and necessity. No matter how many words are invented, they can greatly impact the language’s evolution over time.

It is not enough just to add new words. But modern English is vastly better than Shakespeare’s. A changing language is influenced by many factors. The same process that creates new vocabulary can also be used to remove words from an existing language. Words that are no longer in common use lose their popularity until they become almost non-existent. These words are then removed and considered invalid words.

It can significantly impact the language if you add words to old ones. It is not difficult to understand words and use them in a new language. A drifting in the meanings of words is another phenomenon that can lead to a shifting language. Bryson said that counterfeit used to be a legal copy. Brave was once a sign of cowardice. Egregious used to mean admirable. These words have now been given very different meanings (77–78).

It is not always clear why meanings change. Perhaps they are simply derived from repeated misuse. Whatever the reason, it is quite common for meanings to change and has led to changes in English language. There are many factors that make it necessary to change the language. New inventions, as we have already mentioned, require new names. Betty Birner addresses the issue in her article, “Is English Changing?”. She says:

It is important to have new words for new technologies, products, and experiences. Consider texting. Text messaging was initially called text messaging. It allowed one person, instead of sending voice messages over the phone, to send another person a text message. Another article, “How Technology Has Changed Our Language”, addresses similar changes.

Languages generally evolve slowly, but they do so constantly. The last ten years have seen a tremendous leap in language development. Modern technology has a lot to thank for this transformation. Google it is an example of this. Google is a verb that means to perform an internet search using search engines. The Oxford English Dictionary officially recognized the term Google in 2006. Some words, however, have gained new meanings due to modern technology. In 2006, Google was made an official entry into the Oxford English Dictionary.

These changes have all occurred within the past decade. It is only natural that language changes like these occur. One example is that abbreviations in text language aren’t just for convenience; they also serve to reduce screen space, which makes it more difficult for people to read. This could lead to new words that are derived using acronyms. Words such as these are not new. Although they started as acronyms, words like radar, sonar and NASA were understood and pronounced as if they were words. Most language shifts start with younger generations. Betty Birner, as mentioned previously, said that nearly all language shifts start with younger generations.

Teens and young adults are often the first to experience language changes. As people get older, the language of young people grows to include new words, phrases, or constructions. Some people are short-lived (heard something groovy?). Some people go on to make a difference in the English language, while others stay put. The English language is not subject to rapid changes, which may mean that they aren’t noticeable over time. However, these shifts are natural and necessary for adapting to a constantly changing world.

Each language has seen constant change throughout history. Many languages have evolved to become new languages while others have merged into one language. Very few languages have disappeared from the face of the earth. Languages naturally evolve with the world, but many people are unaware of these language changes. Communicating effectively is crucial for understanding and transmitting information to others. It is therefore important to understand how languages change. As long as the globe is ever changing, language will also continue to evolve.