Language change is variation over time in a language's phonetic, morphological, semantic, syntactic, and other features.
Read more about Language Change: Causes of Language Change, Types of Language Change, Sociolinguistics and Language Change, Quantifying Language Change, Language Shift and Social Status
Famous quotes containing the words language and/or change:
“The great pines stand at a considerable distance from each other. Each tree grows alone, murmurs alone, thinks alone. They do not intrude upon each other. The Navajos are not much in the habit of giving or of asking help. Their language is not a communicative one, and they never attempt an interchange of personality in speech. Over their forests there is the same inexorable reserve. Each tree has its exalted power to bear.”
—Willa Cather (1873–1947)
““And how many hours a day did you do lessons?” said Alice, in a hurry to change the subject.
“Ten hours the first day,” said the Mock Turtle: “nine the next, and so on.”
“What a curious plan!” exclaimed Alice.
“That’s the reason they’re called lessons,” the Gryphon remarked: “because they lessen from day to day.””
—Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (1832–1898)