Historical Linguistics

Language as a Complex System: Emergence & the History of English

English’s unique history as a language, and the way it is currently spoken today is a result of the interaction in the complex system of language. English has changed dramatically since it was first used and all along the way to now. Many words from English are examples of borrowings from French, Old Norse, and Germanic languages. Even now it is changing. If you consider grammar books from grade school, you probably noticed that no one speaks or writes exactly according to those rules. These changes occur because English is a complex system and the interaction of the speakers within create new patterns and group behavior. Certain A-curves (for more info on A-curves click on link) emerge across all levels and forms at every point in time and place that English is spoken. The reason why certain words become popular (versus others in the lexicon) deals with the system as it emerges in use and across time. This is always in reaction to changing circumstances and one reason why we may not recognize words from different generations of speakers of the same language or from different locations. Despite this, we still understand each other and that is why the system works and continues. For more information on this topic read the forthcoming book The Emergence and Development of English, Cambridge Press by Bill Kretzschmar.