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Babel Prompts
Noelle Kekacs

Language and Language Development: 154677

Professor Stephanie LaQua

May 14, 2021

Power of Babel Prompts: Questions 1-6

1. Author John McWhorter argues that language is a

fundamentally mutative phenomenon. How does language

change?  Use the five faces of language change to support your

answer. (Ch. 1, reference p. 18- 35 for criteria discussion)

1. Sound Change: The changes in sounds within words from when they are pronounced

have become lesser and lesser as time has gone by. In some cases, single words have

now become “known” sentences and or expressions. This is known to be the idea of

“language corrosion”, where once words that were used in everyday language (older

words) have become new words with an entirely different meaning than it had once

before.

2. Extension: Words that have used extendion for example, are words that add “s” at the

endings to make them plural. This is used very common for words that are used today

in day to day language. In some languages however, original endings to a word have

been dropped over time and have had the “s” endings added.

3. Evolution of Words: In the text, McWhorter mentioned that the evolution of some

words have changed the overall meaning and degree of seriousness of these words

that now have taken over a new meaning of expression. An example of this could be

the word “Sick”. The original definition of the word sick refers to a person that is
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Babel Prompts
feeling unwell. Today, that same word could be used in reference to two completely

different meanings. The other meaning of the word sick also refers to the word “cool”

when used in the correct manner and slang of language. Over time, these words lose

their true meaning and begin to blend together. McWhorter states that the overuse of

certain words with other meanings and phrases could possibly have the word lose its

importance, power, and overall purpose overtime.

4. Re-bracketing of Words: Re-bracketing of words can happen when certain words are

used overtime from us hearing and using these words in our day to day language. This

is a common occurrence of when using language and could be easily misunderstood

and misleading to the person who is receiving the language from another. The

reconstruction of words according to McWhorter has also taken place as new

languages began to develop and evolve to what they are today.

5. Semantic Change: Semantic change is the final change that occurs in language and is

also commonly known as the “mutation” or certain words and phrases of languages.

Overtime, the use of new meanings for words when exaggerated, begin to take on

new meanings that differ from the original. This is commonly used as “expressions”

when words are used and have new developed meanings base off the format that they

are used in. An example of this could be the phrase of words “sleeping together”. In

previous days, this would be defined as two people who share a bed together like a

husband and wife while sleeping. Today however, those words can be used in a more

intimate way, focusing on the intimacies of a couple for example.

6. The theme “Today’s Dialect is Tomorrow’s Language”  runs

through the text (p. 92).  McWhorter argues this as a kind of

Using McWhorter’s analysis of the eight languages of the

Chinese versus eight Chinese dialects, support your

understanding of this theme in Chapter 2.

After reading chapter 2, McWhorter discusses in great detail how dialects are

used in numerous and diverse cultures, claiming that “dialects is all there really is” when

it comes to languages. After reading this chapter, I have come to an understanding that

dialects are an adjust or change to the core language that involves variations of those who

speak the original languages in various territories. Since language has been around since

the beginning of time, dialects of any language have become the new normal. They have

become the new norm as language and cultures have evolved and has become a useful

way of communicating. The difficulty of learning these various dialects is when a person

is learning a new language other than the one they are fluent in. For example, I work at a

European diverse restaurant where my coworkers are from all various countries over in

Europe. Because their first language is from their country of where they grew up, trying

to learn how to speak English can be challenging at times due to dialects that are used

and all of the various changes of language that is used. I too have experienced this issue

when trying to learn Spanish. I would learn from a book or teacher and the dialects that

are used while having a conversation in Spanish are varied differently from the person I

am speaking with. It can be challenging to learn a languages dialect, but would be easier

if one was emersed in the culture of languages dialect.

2. The author describes how language proceeds in myriad

directions. Dialects form by migration, communication, and

tree or making stew in discussing how language change and mixing

is inherent according to the author (p. 93-94). Chapter 3.

When language was created a very long time ago, it had started from a main

language that was then turned into multiple different versions. When reading

McWhorters representation of how this process has happened to language, I was able to

see that language from all over the world has been shared and changed in multiple way

based on the areas of the world that it resides in. I can compare language as to a stew.

When making a stew for the first time (language), there is an original recipe that was

created to make that stew. Once that recipe is shared with other people, changes can

occur (dialects) to that recipe resulting in a variation of flavors (cultures). As years go on,

it can be hard to dictate where that original recipe came from and thus creates a mixing

pot of languages throughout the world. I find this to be very fascinating that languages

overtime have mixed together and despite differences that they may have when it comes

to dialects and the way that they are pronounced, they also have similarities in meanings

and use of expression.

3. What would be the benefit for having the Latin language as a

foundation for learning English? (p. 98). McWhorter posits that

Latin teaches vocabulary and base words, grammar, and how to

have an economy of words in speaking. Do you agree with this

point of view?  Does learning any second language facilitate

learning English?  Support your opinion with Ch. 3 concepts.

While reading throughout the text, I came to find that the English language stems from

both the French and Latin vocabulary. In this particular outcome, anyone who speaks

fluent in English would be able to pick up a good understanding of the French and Latin

language. I find this to be very true because when learning Spanish as an originated

English speaker, I find certain words and phrases easy to learn. On the other hand,

primarily fluent Spanish speakers would be successful in learning English as a second

language based on the similarities of the two languages. Personally I find it easy to pick

up certain words of Spanish and Italian over the years and surprise myself sometimes of

the knowledge that I do have while conversing in those two languages with others who

are fluent in them. Language has always sparked an interest of mine and I am determined

to learning multiple languages throughout my lifetime.

4. Give examples of usage of English vocabulary words in other

languages. Discuss the relationship of English words that are

being incorporated into other languages.

After coming across the topic of vocabulary being shared with other languages, I

was pleased to see how many languages have the same meaning and semantic

relationships. For example, while spending my time in Europe, I was surprised to see that

in Netherlands and Germany their version of the English word “Hello” is very similar to

each other. My family orginates mainly from the Netherlands so I was happy to see that a

language I heard growing up was similar to the language that I am fluent in. Hello in

German and Dutch is “Hallo”. Both German and Dutch languages are very similar to
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Babel Prompts
each other but carry different dialects from each country. In Spanish, the term hello is

“Ola” which when pronounced, it sounds very similar to English, German, and Dutch but

with a different ending sound.

5. Discuss the development of a new dialect of Spanish in

America--Spanglish (p. 119-120) as it relates to Question 5.

You may prefer to give another symbiotic language example like

Konglish or Denglisch (p. 117) to support your answer in

discussing hybrid linguistic development, where English language

has bled into other languages. Answers may vary here (Ch. 3)

Spanglish is a very common term that is used in Southern California and

according to McWhorter it is “not a real language”. To this extent I do agree with

McWhorter because when comparing the languages of English and Spanish, they differ

from each other in the way that words are pronounced and sang by the people who speak

it. The term Spanglish is a stem of language bleeding, especially when two countries

have both languages that are spoken consistently. This is because one language may be

more prominent than the other depending which area that they are in. For example, in

Southern California, it is very common to hear a mix of English and Spanish spoken in

the same setting. To me, hearing the Spanish language has become a natural thing for me

to hear based on the area that I am from where Spanish is a big part of our community.

When I attempt to speak Spanish to another person, my Spanish is more Spanglish

because of knowing common words that would be identified in the English and Spanish

language. At times, I find myself using Spanglish for words that I do not know fully
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Babel Prompts
know how to say in Spanish but I am able to communicate in a mixed language type of

way!