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Jessica Noyes
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Not simple evolution Dec 10, 2012

Tom in London wrote:

The British did not either "invent" or "develop" their language. Nobody decided anything. It just evolved. So nobody gets any credit. Nor do the British have any control over their language. They can simply observe what happens to it.

The same applies to all languages.


I do not agree.

Unlike, say, the plate techtonic shifts leading to the evolution of the Cotswolds, language change does not just "happen." Language change is the result of an infinite number of decisions made by individual people over time -- a decision to choose one term over another, a decision to add a new term to one's lexicon, a decision to make a pronunciations shift based on whatever perception they may have of its social implications, and so on.

Some individuals -- writers, and media celebrities come to mind -- have additional power to change language. They coin a term, or comment on it, or use it in their books and programs, and the hoi poloi make the decision of whether or not to adopt it.

I would also suggest that in the "all languages" category, the ones that have an Academy (made up of people), which attempts to guide language change, are even more subject to change dictated by individual decisions.

(The same is true of "the economy" -- it is not an act of God, but also the sum total of countless individual choices, but I digress.)

[Edited at 2012-12-10 18:32 GMT]
 
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