Prace komisji nauk.pdf - Instytut Filologii Angielskiej Uniwersytetu ...

Cor van Bree
Universiteit Leiden
Why do languages change? 1
Introduction
Why do languages change? This is a trivial question and there is a trivial
answer: why everything in this world changes. But maybe it is possible to give a
more sophisticated answer. Therefore again: why do languages change? In
answering this question we shall restrict ourselves to what we can call: ordinary,
i.e. spontaneous language change. There are situations, for instance the situation
of standardization, in which language is changed intentionally: grammarians
form a standard language and are taking decisions as to which elements are
acceptable henceforth and which not. This is the way in which Standard Polish,
Standard Dutch, Standard English and so on came into being. This situation we
shall leave out of consideration, although it is a very interesting situation.
In connection with this: let us note that languages changes are often in
conflict with the norm of the standard language. At first they are often
considered to be errors. Later on they can be accepted and even become the
standard norm. In order to interpret and explain language changes, we have to
switch off our “normative button”. Let me illustrate this with a famous
metaphor, the metaphor of the botanist and the gardener. The botanist is
1 This paper was presented in the form of a lecture at the Philological School of Higher
Education in Wrocław (Poland) on the 24 th of October 2008. I thank Jan Noordegraaf
(Alphen aan den Rijn NL), Ariane van Santen (Leiden NL), Guy Tops (Wilrijk Belgium)
and Arjen Versloot (Ljouwert/Leeuwarden NL) for help and comments.
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