The Evolution of Language

9/17/2018

Daily Literary Quote
“Time changes all things; there is no reason why language should escape this universal law”
- Ferdinand de Saussure
Journal Prompt
What are some (appropriate) English words whose meanings have changed over time? How do the earlier meanings compare with today's meanings? Why do you think language changes over time?

66 Comments

Kiana Farnworth

9/17/2018 10:08:42 am

Language changes over time because people change over time. One example of a word that has changed over time is wicked, it used to mean evil and cruel now it can mean cool.

Aimee

9/17/2018 10:11:01 am

I like the word you chose because our generation especially, like to come up with lots of words to mean awesome or cool.

Nick

9/17/2018 10:17:47 am

Good response

Joe

9/17/2018 10:09:41 am

The word girl used to refer to a child or young person of either gender.

Konner

9/17/2018 10:13:34 am

Never heard of that one good to no.

Joe

9/17/2018 10:14:57 am

Know*

Sarah

9/17/2018 10:14:38 am

Why did the meaning of the word change?

Aimee

9/17/2018 10:09:47 am

The word gay used to mean happy. Then it became used as a term for homosexuals and then more recently it has also been used to mean stupid or annoying etc. I think language changes because everything changes. Like the quote says language is not exempt from that. We can’t expect everything except language to change.

Kelsey

9/17/2018 10:15:35 am

This just shows how much today’s society has changed.

Hailey Jo

9/17/2018 10:16:30 am

I agree with the quote also, language must evolve and change just as much as everything else in our culture.

Jennifer

9/17/2018 10:19:02 am

Do you think maybe one day some of these words might return to their original meaning? Or will they keep changing to mean something different?

Kayla

9/17/2018 10:10:43 am

There are to many words that have changed over time. One is footprint. Footprint: a unique set of characteristics, actions, etc., that leave a trace and serve as a means of identification. It used to just mean what it is; a footprint you left behind after you walked or went somewhere.

Kelsey

9/17/2018 10:17:34 am

I never thought about that

Robyn

9/17/2018 10:18:09 am

That is kind of a weird change. Maybe the change has something to do with the result of the unique actions of a person, then somehow morphed into the engravement(?) in the ground people leave behind

Alexis Anderson

9/17/2018 10:20:43 am

We commonly use both versions, we have a carbon footprint and the footprint on the moon, how did the evolution of this word occur? Has it occurred recently?

William

9/17/2018 10:11:13 am

Cheater has changed over time. The original meaning of the word was one describe an officer that protected the king. I think that language changes over time because people will start using words for other meanings.

Katelyn

9/17/2018 10:13:52 am

I never knew cheater meant that, interesting definition.

Kiana Farnworth

9/17/2018 10:15:29 am

That’s interesting I never knew there was a separate meaning to the word.

Konner

9/17/2018 10:11:27 am

Fagget used to mean a bundle of sticks, no is used as a label on homosexuals.

Joe

9/17/2018 10:12:53 am

How do you think the change in meaning for this word came about.

Nate

9/17/2018 10:13:20 am

I agree bean

Nick

9/17/2018 10:19:42 am

Why did the meaning change.

Jennifer

9/17/2018 10:24:10 am

Why do you think people use this word to be more cruel and offensive to homosexuals rather than just to identify them gays.

Brandon Westfall

9/17/2018 10:11:43 am

One word that has changed is cool. It used to mean cold and now it means awesome. Language changes as a culture changes and develops

Kayla

9/17/2018 10:14:11 am

Language really does change as the culture develops but why do we need so many meanings for just one word

Sarah

9/17/2018 10:16:25 am

What do you think caused the meaning to change?

Will

9/17/2018 10:17:03 am

How do you think the word has changed overtime

Connor born

9/17/2018 10:18:15 am

I think culture has a lot to do with it as well.

Robyn

9/17/2018 10:18:56 am

It still means cold in some uses

Saymen Clifton

9/17/2018 10:21:31 am

I like the word cool it’s has been changed now still
changing people use it for many words.

Katelyn

9/17/2018 10:12:16 am

The words queer and gay have changed over time. Gay originally, and sometimes still is, referred to describing someone who is joyful and happy. Queer means the same way, someone who is odd but joyful. Now, the word gay refers to homosexual or homoromantic people, and queer refers to any orientation that isn’t straight. Languages change overtime because people constantly change speech patterns that are not always accociated to dictionary definitions.

Kiana Farnworth

9/17/2018 10:17:12 am

Why do you think the word’s meaning changed so drastically? And why choose this word in particular?

Alexis Anderson

9/17/2018 10:23:15 am

Even the word “straight”, could mean two different meanings with different context!

Nate

9/17/2018 10:12:23 am

Gay is a word that has definitely changed over time. It used to mean happy and now it means homo. It can’t ever go back to what it used to be

Aimee

9/17/2018 10:14:27 am

Who do you think that they chose gay to be a term for homosexuals?

Cherish

9/17/2018 10:19:33 am

Why can it never go back to its original meaning? I feel like it could if we decide to not use the other way anymore.

Konner

9/17/2018 10:18:15 am

Indeed it has changed and you are right it won’t ever have its old meaning.

James

9/17/2018 10:13:00 am

Today myriad means an uncountable amount of things. In Ancient Greece a myriad meant the number 10,000.
Language changes as we apply different meanings to words.

Connor born

9/17/2018 10:17:24 am

Fascinating

Will

9/17/2018 10:18:39 am

How did the word change over time you think

Hayes

9/17/2018 10:13:07 am

Gay used to mean happy and now is a word for homosexuals or synonyms with lesser, naughty used to mean someone who had nothing and now it means misbehaving. I think language changes over time because it has always been something that can adapt and develop as people change.

Hailey Jo

9/17/2018 10:18:33 am

Language defiantly has to change over time and evolve with the culture

Sarah

9/17/2018 10:13:28 am

Gay used to mean happy but it now means homosexual. I think language changes over time because we keep coming up with new things. For example, homosexual did exist when we still used the word gay to say happy but it wasn’t as common or accepted. Now it’s more common and socially acceptable and we used the word gay to describe it.

Katelyn

9/17/2018 10:16:56 am

I like the way you said that language changes because people are still coming up with new words or definitions and not just limited to the dictionary.

Nutt

9/26/2018 11:19:07 am

Our vocabulary, especially as teens, are not very restricted by the dictionary. We constantly use slang and terms that are not yet actual words to describe new trends or practices.

Connor born

9/17/2018 10:13:59 am

So word that have changed are cool, naughty used to mean some one who owned nothing

Connor born

9/17/2018 10:15:30 am

Because both culture and people change and develop.

James

9/17/2018 10:18:21 am

That’s quite a different meaning

Kelsey

9/17/2018 10:14:05 am

Sick has different meaning in today’s world. Sick can mean you don’t feel good and it can also mean cool, awesome, etc.

Nutt

9/26/2018 11:16:15 am

The connotation and denotation of the word 'sick' are very different from each other.

Robyn

9/17/2018 10:14:19 am

A word whose meaning has changed over time is the old English word awful. ‘Back in the day’, it used to mean worthy of awe, which is a complete 180 from what it means today. I think that words change over time because people and culture change over time, and the words change to fit that.

Kayla

9/17/2018 10:16:16 am

It really did completely change its meaning. You never really think about some of these words until they’re brought up.

Hailey Jo

9/17/2018 10:14:45 am

Merry used to take the meaning of ‘short’ but now it’s more ‘cheerful and happy’. I think our language changes over time because it must evolve with the times and different culture and norms.

Jennifer Auwen

9/17/2018 10:15:12 am

Naughty is a word that once referred to a person who had nothing. If you were naughty then you were most likely poor. Overtime the word evolved to mean you were disrespectful and behaved inappropriately. I think language has changed more overtime to fit better with ones likings and our constantly changing society.

Nate

9/17/2018 10:17:34 am

I agree that it has changed

Nick heble

9/17/2018 10:16:07 am

Fine use to mean the end now it means of high quality or the best. I think language changes over time because we get a better understanding for words.

Kayla

9/17/2018 10:19:52 am

I guess it depends on how you are using the word. Fine can still mean the end of a conversation.

Alexis Anderson

9/17/2018 10:16:36 am

Language changes with the evolution of culture. We changed “Google” to a verb, we change the meaning of slang words and we use words that would make no sense to early Americans. We use syntax that fit into our culture and there are many versions of the same sentence throughout the world, even just in different parts of the United States, with different slang words. Take the word “y’all” for example, southerners often use this but whereas we are from the northwestern, we use it as two separate words “ you all”. We morph words and phrases to make them fit into context, which is why if someone from the early 18th century were to talk to use, they would not understand what we are saying in full context.

Brook

9/17/2018 10:21:17 am

good descriptions

Saymen Clifton

9/17/2018 10:17:19 am

Many English wards has been changed over time we can take this word form example “cheater” originally means officer who look after king. The reason Words Chang in one language is because many divers groups living together they can have many effective things on the languages.

Cherish

9/17/2018 10:18:01 am

Some words that have changed over time include nice, clue, and eerie. Nice once meant foolish and it now is more of a compliment. Clue meant a ball of yarn which over time it developed into a way of leading to evidence or a solution. Eerie was defined as people feeling fear whereas now it is simply something that influences fear. I think language changes over time because we need to be able to develop better ways to understand things as time changes and our generations change.

Kayla

9/17/2018 10:23:03 am

Another would be Like. It used to be you liked someone or had feelings for them. Now we just use it in comparison or in every sentence. There really are so many words that have changed.

Kayla

9/17/2018 10:27:23 am

Not all words change meaning either; some add to their meanings.

Brook

9/17/2018 10:18:26 am

The word silly used to mean worthy or blessed. I think language changes over time because the way people talk changes over time and they start to use different words for different meanings

Cherish

9/17/2018 10:21:39 am

I agree that our language changes over time. We definitely use many different meanings for words. If we look back, we use way different meanings for certain words that our parents even never used.

Nutt

9/26/2018 11:15:16 am

One word I know that had it's meaning change significantly over time is the word awful. Awful used to mean "worthy of awe", which is why the bible states several times about the "awful majesty of God". Today it is used to describe something very bad or unpleasant. Language changes over time because people and our capabilities change over time.

The Evolution of Language

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