Language change revision.

Language Change Revision.

Proprietary eponyms - are trademarked brand names that gain wide use as terms for generic items. For example, the trademarked brand name "Kleenex" is often used to refer to all types of facial tissue, whether they are actually Kleenex or another brand.

Amelioration - the downgrading or depreciation of a word's meaning, as when a word with a positive sense develops a negative one. Pejoration is much more common that the opposite process, called amelioration.

Hyperbole - is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally.

Archaic/Obsolete - archaic is used for words that were once common but are now rare. Archaic implies having the character or characteristics of a much earlier time. Obsolete indicates that a term is no longer in active use, except, for example, in literary quotation. Obsolete may apply to a word regarded as no longer acceptable or useful even though it is still in existence

Inflection - is the name for the extra letter or letters added to nouns, verbs and adjectives in their different grammatical forms.

Assonance - is the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words. It is used to reinforce the meanings of words or to set the mood.

Assimilation - is a common phonological process by which one sound becomes more like a nearby sound. This can occur either within a word or between words.

Dialect leveling - refers to the assimilation, mixture and/or eradication of certain dialects, often due to language standardisation.

Convergence - happens when an individual adjusts his speech patterns to match those of people belonging to another group or social identity.

Divergence - happens when an individual adjusts his speech patterns to be distinct from those of people belonging to another group or social identity.

The Great Vowel Shift - was a major change in the pronunciation of the English language that took place in England between 1350 and 1700.