The Evolution of a WordThe ability to communicate seems to come naturally to humans; it’s a fairly unique trait to humanity. Parents teach their children to speak, and children learn without realizing how extraordinary the art of language is. However, the languages ​​of the modern world are not the same as those used in early civilizations, nor are they the same languages ​​that even the previous generation used or that future generations will use. There are certainly innate similarities, but language is a dynamic concept that has continued to evolve. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayAlmost all individuals have the ability to communicate through some form of language, and yet very few are aware of the process by which language evolves. Some languages ​​have diverged to form new languages, others have merged into one, and few have completely disappeared. How is it that an entire language can change without the majority of the population noticing? This essay will explore how new words are created, how the creation of new words affects language as a whole, and why languages ​​must evolve. Topic AnalysisDictionaries are often considered the most reliable resource for determining what constitutes a word, but many people have no idea how a word gets into the dictionary. Who decides that one string of letters is a valid word, while another is meaningless? Most dictionaries are updated annually, or even more often now that several are available online. With each new edition comes new words with new definitions, and suddenly a nonsense old word is now official. Every time a new invention is released, there must be a new word to match the creation. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary site, there are many ways to create new words, including borrowing, truncation, back-forming, blending, and many other ways. All of these processes contribute to the creation of new words to add to the dictionary. In his article “Language Issues – How New Words Are Created,” Luke Mastin states: “Most new words added to the ever-growing lexicon of the English language are simply created from scratch and often have little or no etymological pedigree. A good example is the word dog, etymologically unrelated to any other known word, which, in the late Middle Ages, suddenly and mysteriously replaced the old English word hound (or hund) which had been used for centuries. Another way words are added to one language is by borrowing from another language. According to Bill Bryson in The Mother Tongue, the English language adopted more than 10,000 Norman French words after the Norman Conquest of 1066, three-quarters of which are still in use (55). Later in his book, Bryson mentions a multitude of words that the English language has adopted from other languages, including Indian, Chinese, Greek, Latin, French and almost every other language that has ever existed. Many of these words have undergone serious changes. from their original forms, to the point that they are almost unrecognizable, while others bear a striking resemblance to their origins. Yet other words are created by truncation – a process in which old words are shortened to create new words – and by blending – a process in which multiple words are combined to create a new word. Once a word is created, itmust gain popularity to enter the dictionary. Words are not created overnight, but rather through repetition and necessity. Regardless of how new words are created, they contribute greatly to the evolution of language over time. Simply adding new words is not enough to completely change a language, and yet modern English is very different from the English that Shakespeare used in his day. There are many other factors that contribute to the evolution of a language. For example, the same process that creates new words can also remove old words from a language. As words fall out of common use, they lose popularity to the point where they become almost non-existent. These words are then removed from dictionaries and are no longer considered valid words. The combination of adding new words and removing old words has a significant impact on a language. After all, using words that no one understands is a bit like speaking a completely different language. Another phenomenon that contributes to language change is word meaning drift. According to Bryson, "counterfeit" once meant a legitimate copy, "brave" once meant cowardice, and "blatant" once meant admirable, although these words now have very different meanings (77-78). The reason for this change in meaning is often unclear. ; maybe they are just due to misuse, over and over again. For some reason, changes in meaning are quite common and have led to changes in the English language. There are many reasons why changing languages ​​is necessary. As mentioned earlier, new inventions require new words to name them. Betty Birner addresses this subject in her article “Is English Changing?” » saying: “New technologies, new products and new experiences require new words to refer to them clearly and effectively. Think about SMS: It was originally called text messaging because it allowed a person to send another text rather than voice messages over the phone. A similar article titled “How Technology Has Changed Our Language” also discusses the necessary changes that have occurred due to technological advancements. In general, languages ​​are constantly evolving, usually very slowly over time. But over the past decade, our language has taken a big step forward. And much of the responsibility for change lies with modern technology. Let’s take the example of the phrase “Google it”. The word Google (meaning to search the Internet using a search engine) has become a universally understood verb over the past decade and officially entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 2006. Meanwhile , certain words have taken on a whole new meaning thanks to modernity. technology… The word “friend” has become a verb, as in “she friended me on Facebook.” Meanwhile, textual language (or “txt spk”) is full of abbreviations, missing vowels, and acronyms. All of these changes in the English language have occurred in the last decade or less. Such a language shift could only happen out of necessity. For example, the reason for abbreviations and acronyms in text language is not only for convenience, but also due to limited space as screens become smaller and smaller. It is quite possible that this fact will lead to the invention of new words derived from acronyms. Words like these would not be the first of their kind; radar, sonar, NASA and NATO all started as acronyms, but.