Lexical Change

Lexical change — the creation, borrowing, and evolution of words — is the most visible and rapid form of language change. New words enter English every day, while existing words shift in meaning, register, or frequency. For AQA A-Level English Language, you need to understand both the processes by which new words are formed and the types of semantic change that alter the meanings of existing words. This lesson provides a comprehensive framework for analysing lexical change across any historical period.

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Word Formation Processes

A neologism is a newly coined word or expression, or a new meaning for an existing word.

English creates new words through a range of productive processes. You must be able to identify and analyse each of these:

1. Borrowing (Loanwords)

Borrowing is the adoption of words from other languages. English has borrowed more extensively than almost any other language, reflecting its history of contact with Latin, French, Old Norse, and many other languages.