Dawn Lingle
9-2 Defense of Language
ENG550
Dr. Mohamed
Defense of Language
The English language is constantly changing, and the history proves that. As technology and society change and grow, so does the English language. Wanting to study English means studying all aspects therein, such as all of the changing progress that the language itself has made. Studying the origins of the language are just as important as the language itself. Learning where the words come from are vital. According to Curzan and Adams, society determines how and when new words infiltrate our American English language. Whether it is as a professional or personal task, studying the origin of one’s mother tongue is important.
There are various ways to study the English language. If one is seeking to go in depth with his or her study, there is linguistics, which is the scientific study of language. There is phonology, which is essentially studying the phonetics and sounds within the language (Linguistic Glossary). One way of studying language that can be vital is morphology, which studies how words are formed and how they are related to other words in the same language.
There are a couple linguistic elements – as they are called – that are somewhat easier to use to study and learn more about the language: lexicology and syntax. Lexicology is “the study of the structure of…the vocabulary of a language” (Linguistic Glossary). Lexicology studies how the words are founded and what they are based upon. When using syntax to study language, it is important to know that syntax is “the study of sentence structure” (Linguistic Glossary). By studying how a sentence is written or supposed to be written, it may be easier to understand the language.
By including society within the study of language, there...
