How Languages Evolve

What’s inside

• What is the primary mechanism by which one language can split into several distinct languages over time?
• What is the main difference between language change and language decay?
• Which process occurs when speakers adopt a word such as “piano” from another language?
• What is grammaticalization?
• Match each historical change process with its description.
• Match each term with the language-evolution concept it best represents.
• Match each social factor with its typical effect on language evolution.
• Match each phenomenon with its example or consequence.