​Unit 2 - Area of Study 1: English across time

Outcome 1​

Describe language change as represented in a range of texts and analyse a range of attitudes to language change.

Examples of learning activities

• Develop a timeline which shows the major periods in the development of English, from Old English through to present-day Australian English.
• In groups, research a major period in the development of English; summarise the main linguistic features and collect samples of texts; present findings to the class in the form of a PowerPoint presentation.
• Listen to recordings of English representing the major periods or try reading a medieval text aloud, such as Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales; discuss how much is recognisable and which words are familiar.
• Make a poster showing the relationship of English to the Indo-European languages.
• Trace the etymologies of particular words, using dictionaries and etymological databases, and pay attention to spelling changes over time; explore the word revisions on Online Etymology Dictionary or in the online Oxford English Dictionary.
• Using extracts from medieval texts such as Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, identify words which no longer exist or which have undergone semantic change; with the help of a dictionary, give a detailed account of their etymology.
• Describe the process of codification – what factors are needed for successful codification of a language? Identify and comment on some of the processes in the codification of Standard English; trace the history of dictionaries using The British Library.
• Research words and phrases which are unique to Australian English and trace their origins in the Macquarie Dictionary.
• Investigate ‘sniglets’ – words which are not yet found in dictionaries; a starting point would be Alpha Dictionary; this activity is good for studying word creation and affixation; students can create their own ‘sniglets’.
• Collect unusual examples of Australian slang; get classmates to guess the meanings of these words/expressions and discuss whether these expressions are still common today, and if not, why they have gone out of fashion; discuss some of the recent political, cultural and social movements which have had an impact on language use in Australia.
• Examine a variety of texts from different periods of the English language (for example, The Lord’s Prayer); examine each text closely and comment on the spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and semantics; such changes could be presented in a tabular format.
• Compare earlier versions of Australian newspapers (such as The Argus) with current newspapers (including online news) and identify areas of language change.
• Collect articles/letters to the editor concerning language use and language change, identify the language subsystems being discussed and then analyse people’s attitudes to these changes.
• Collect a folio of a range of e-language samples from email, text messaging, twitter, chat rooms and social networks; discuss whether these represent language change.
• Discuss possibilities for the future of English across all subsystems; an example could be the role of punctuation; write a sample of ‘future’ English and present to class.
• Using current media, such as radio, newspapers, the internet and social media, locate examples of the latest ‘buzzwords’ or recent additions to Australian English.
• Look at ‘Word of the Year’ in the online Macquarie Dictionary; in groups, discuss possible words for this year’s ‘Word of the Year’; present ideas to the class and reasons for selection.
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  Devise a questionnaire on attitudes to current language trends in Australian English and analyse responses from a range of age groups.
• ​Conduct a class debate on an aspect of language use or language change with one side arguing from a prescriptivist approach and the other expressing a descriptivist attitude; decide which arguments are more convincing.

 

​​Detailed example​

Investigating attitudes to language change

Find two or three interesting examples of modern Australian English words or phrases; these could be imported from foreign sources such as American English or they may have arisen from current political, cultural or social events.

Devise a survey to establish people’s attitudes towards these modern words/phrases. Questions to ask could include:

• How do you feel about these new expressions?
• Do you think they will have a long lifespan?
• What do you think about language change in general?
• Do you see any new patterns emerging at present?
• Can you think of any words or phrases which have gone out of fashion in your lifetime?
• What do you predict for the future of Australian English?
• Are you happy with the direction Australian English is taking?

Survey a range of people – they should be a mix of ages and could be parents, relatives, teachers, students and friends. Present the answers to the survey questions in a suitable format such as a table.

Analyse the findings. Some points to consider include:

• Are you surprised at the results?
• Did you see any differences in the way adults and young people responded?
• Are there any gender or social background differences?

Were the respondents aware of language change in their lifetime?