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Language Change
Quick questions on Theories and processes of change - Edexcel A-Level English Language
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is a social-media coinage on the S-curve?Show answer
The verb "to google" began as a brand name (an eponym), then underwent conversion to a verb ("I googled it"). A strong paragraph would name both processes (eponym becoming a verb by conversion), explain the mechanism (a proper noun generalised into a common verb because it filled a functional need, naming the new act of web searching), and tie its spread to the S-curve: slow while search engines were niche, rapid as the web became universal, now levelled off as a standard verb. The paragraph explains process, cause and diffusion together rather than just labelling.
What is dialect contact and the wave model?Show answer
A regional pronunciation feature spreading out from a major city (for example the diffusion of certain London features into surrounding counties) illustrates the wave model and substratum theory together. A strong paragraph would argue that the feature spreads outward from the urban centre, weakening with distance (wave model), and that the mechanism is contact between the city variety and surrounding varieties as people move and commute (substratum theory). It would note the wave model's limit, that social networks and prestige, not just geography, govern who adopts a feature, which is where modern sociolinguistics refines the simple ripple picture.
What is q1?Show answer
Describe the S-curve model and the wave model, and state what each is good at explaining. [4 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Identify the word-formation process in "brunch", "NASA" and "to text". [3 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Analyse the word-formation processes in modern data and explain how they illustrate the influence of technology and society. [16 marks]
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