Talk:Language change

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The part on "factors" should be revised:

  • Evolution is not a factor, but it is language change.
  • Innovation and variation are not factors, but parts of language change, e.g. (1) a speech community uses form A, (2) in addition to this form A speakers invent form B (invention = innovation, the addition leads to variation), (3) the variants A and B are (a) kept as simple variants or (b) semantically and/or stylistically differentiated, or (c) one of the forms is given up.
  • Economy, at least in current linguistics, doesn't mean that speakers tend to make forms shorter and shorter; rather, to speak economically means to choose the form that is (presumably) the most efficient to achieve the speaker's conversational goals.

-- Sinatra 09:56, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

I have started overhauling the article. It really needs it. Please join me. I have laid out a general outline to work from. I had rewritten the article this morning, but my browser crashed and took the article with it. I'm presently writing it again, but I welcome anyone to get a headstart and beat me to it. Also, I think the article could use a discussion of the systematicity and regularity of language change and conditioned and unconditioned systematic changes, etc. Anyone game? Game on! Jobber 23:43, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

"Causes of language change" looks like it should have a stub tag. Also, isn't the idea of economy being a major factor somewhat controversial? 24.159.255.29 22:16, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Grammatical change?

This page could do with something on morphology and syntax --Pfold 14:42, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

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