Summary
Summary
How new words enter the language.
This unit and the next one are about vocabulary change, or changes in the lexicon (word stock). Vocabulary change is commonly understood as a matter of new words for new things but it also shows both a social and a linguistic dimension.
From the social perspective, vocabulary will emerge out of particular contexts of relationships, intentions, communities and power. Considering word origins and how words come into the language can be a productive way of seeing this social dimension and the ways in which new words reflect and define how people are thinking and relating to each other, as well as to the technology being used.
Linguistically, words will show patterns of word formation, which relate to patterns in the language. The volume of technology-related language change is such that nearly all types of word formation are there, along with some new varieties (see Unit 6).
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