Learning activities

Unit 2: Language change

In Unit 2 students learn about current changes, past changes and possible future changes in the English language, as well as the effects of contact with other languages.

Factors contributing to change in the English language over time include geopolitical and historical events and government language policies. Students may consider the role of new technology as a force for language change, including the arrival of printing in the fifteenth century and recent developments in electronic communication and other forms of social media.

Factors contributing to the spread and diversification of English include worldwide communication networks, the internationalisation of products and consumerism, and global movements of people. Contact between English and other languages has led to the development of geographical and ethnic varieties, and has also exacerbated the situation where indigenous languages are no longer used as a first language. In Area of Study 2, teachers may introduce students to the efforts to preserve and reclaim Aboriginal languages in Australia.

Area of Study 1: English across time
​Area of Study 2: Englishes in contact