Language Change A Level Unit

A 10 lesson unit comprising a 70 slide PowerPoint, 9 different worksheets (including texts for analysis) exploring the topic of Language Change and a summary terminology and theory sheet.

Each lesson includes a starting discussion prompt which acts as a learning objective, detailed notes on the theories and concepts listed below, a worksheet (with the exception of lesson nine) and activities, and a homework task. The following theories and concepts are covered:

• Lexical, Semantic, Phonological, Grammatical and Orthographical processes
• David Crystal – A Sea of Language Change and tidal metaphor (1999)
• Diachronic and Synchronic Linguistic Change
• Origins of Old English and Middle English
• Descriptivism and Prescriptivism
• Samuel Johnson – Dictionary of the English Language (1755)
• Robert Lowth – A Short Introduction to English Grammar (1762)
• Jonathan Swift - ‘A Proposal for Correcting, Improving and Ascertaining the English Tongue’ (1712)
• John Walker – A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary (1791)
• Otto Jespersen – Great Vowel Shift (1909)
• William Caxton – Printing Press (1476)
• John McWhorter – Textspeak (2013)
• Jean Aitchison – Language Change Progress or Decay? (2012)
• Vocal Fry and Uptalk
• Martin Janssen – Lexical gaps (2012)
• Functional view/theory
• Linguistic determinism and the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
• Charles Hockett - Random Fluctuation Theory (1958)
• Peter Trudgill – Language Myths (1990)
• John Humphrys – Prescriptivist grammatical change
• Lynne Truss – Eats, Shoots and Leaves (2003)
• Jean Aitchison – A Web of Worries (1996)
• Guy Deutscher – The Unfolding of Language (2006)
• James Milroy and Lesley Milroy – Complaint tradition (1985)
• Robert Lane Greene – You Are What You Speak (2011)

There are some references to AQA-style A Level specification questions, but you can adapt these if needs be. These can be found on slides 59-67. Lesson 9 is based on an AQA A Level question.

The final lesson is a consolidation activity complete with guided revision cards. Alternatively, you could use an app such as Quizlet so that the students could produce digital revision resources.

Check out my other English Language A Level resources!

Language and Gender
Language and Region
Language and Power and Occupation
Language and Global and World Englishes
Language and Technology
Language and Ethnicity
Language and Social Groups
Language Discourses
Child Language Acquisition Speaking