The Cause of Linguistic Change
Read The Cause of Linguistic Change and check the IELTS Reading answers. The changes that have caused the most disagreement are those in pronunciation. We have various sources of evidence for the pronunciations of earlier times, such as the spellings, the treatment of words borrowed from other lang…
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The changes that have caused the most disagreement are those in pronunciation. We have various sources of evidence for the pronunciations of earlier times, such as the spellings, the treatment of words borrowed from other languages or borrowed by them, the descriptions of contemporary grammarians and spelling-reformers, and the modern pronunciations in all the languages and dialects concerned. From the middle of the sixteenth century, there are in England writers who attempt to describe the position of the speech-organs for the production of English phonemes, and who invent what are in effect systems of phonetic symbols. These various kinds of evidence, combined with a knowledge of the mechanisms of speech-production, can often give us a very good idea of the pronunciation of an earlier age, though absolute certainty is never possible.
Vocabulary from this passage
10 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- articulate verb
To form a speech sound or pronounce a word clearly and distinctly
It is more efficient to articulate 'n' and 't' in the same place against the teeth-ridge.
- assimilation noun
The process by which a speech sound becomes similar or identical to a neighboring sound
The change from 'skamt' to 'scant' is a clear example of phonetic assimilation occurring over time.
- conform verb
To behave or change in accordance with established standards, expectations, or neighboring elements
The nasal consonant was changed to conform with the place of articulation of the following plosive.
- contemporary adjective
Belonging to or occurring in the present time; modern and current
Researchers use the descriptions of contemporary grammarians to understand how words were pronounced in earlier centuries.
- deviation noun
The action of departing from an established course or accepted standard
Minor deviations from adult speech are usually corrected as children grow older and enter later childhood.
- disguise verb
To give a new appearance to a person or thing in order to hide its true character or nature
When certain accents become socially undesirable, people often try to disguise their natural way of speaking.
- infiltration noun
The process of gradually entering or gaining access to an organization or group, often surreptitiously
The steady infiltration of the middle classes into the landed gentry altered upper-class speech patterns.
- invoke verb
To cite or appeal to someone or something as an authority for an action or in support of an argument
The principle of ease is often invoked to explain why certain consonants are lost at the end of words.
- prestige noun
Widespread respect and admiration felt for someone or something on the basis of perceived achievements or quality
Speakers with the most prestige are most likely to be imitated, leading to changes in language pronunciation.
- systematic trend noun
A consistent and predictable tendency or direction of change within a complex system
Random variations do not cause linguistic change unless there is a systematic trend in the failures of imitation.
Answers with explanations
- 27. sound laws
The summary asks for the term used to describe large-scale regular changes in pronunciation. The text explicitly states that such regular changes are often called **sound laws**, making it the perfect fit.
- 28. fashion
The blank requires the factor that involves imitation of the most prestigious speakers. The text points out that **fashion** plays a significant part in why one person imitates another, perfectly matching the contextual requirement.
- 29. imperfect
The blank requires an adjective describing the imitation of children. The text explicitly states that the imitation of children is **imperfect**, explaining that they copy but never reproduce speech exactly.
- 30. principle of ease
The summary needs the underlying reason for random variations that also align with 'minimization of effort'. The passage specifies that this deeper evidence lies in the **principle of ease**, which represents the minimization of effort.
- 31. FALSE
The statement claims it is impossible to find historical pronunciation. The text contradicts this directly by stating that evidence can give us a **very good idea of the pronunciation of an earlier age**. Answer: FALSE.
- 32. FALSE
The statement links the rising status of the middle class to changes in the **Russian** language. However, the text explicitly associates this rising middle-class influence with changes in accepted **English** pronunciation in the 17th and 18th centuries. Answer: FALSE.
- 33. NOT GIVEN
The statement claims that children *assume* certain language is difficult to imitate. While the text notes that children's imitation is imperfect and never exact, it mentions absolutely nothing about what the children mentally 'assume' about the difficulty. Answer: NOT GIVEN.
- 34. TRUE
The statement posits that casual inaccuracy (random variation) won't have a big influence on language changes. The text confirms this, saying mere **random deviations** will cancel each other out resulting in **no net change**. Answer: TRUE.
- 35. TRUE
The statement says 'scant' is pronounced more easily than 'skamt'. The text supports this by confirming that the change from 'skamt' to 'scant' achieved **greater efficiency** due to the proximity of the articulation points. Efficiency implies greater ease. Answer: TRUE.
- 36. NOT GIVEN
The statement makes a claim about the spelling of the word 'gnat' in the future. The text only discusses historical lost pronunciations like the [k] in 'knight'. It makes no mention of the word 'gnat' or predictions about future spelling. Answer: NOT GIVEN.
- 37. TRUE
The statement says the sound of 'temporary' cannot wholly present its spelling. The text confirms this by stating that a whole syllable is often dropped, meaning it is pronounced 'tempory', leaving part of the spelling unpronounced. Answer: TRUE.
- 38. C
The phrase provides an example of a change from 'b' to 'p'. The text explicitly uses this change as an example of **sound laws**, which represent a trend for large-scale changes in a given period (Statement C).
- 39. B
The question references the change from [mt] to [nt] in the word 'skamt/scant'. The text explicitly identifies this process as **assimilation** of a sound under the influence of a neighboring one (Statement B).
- 40. A
The question addresses the omission of 't' in Christmas. The passage describes this as consonant-cluster simplification, which connects to the broader principle of ease (Statement A). Simplifying clusters requires less effort from the speaker.