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"There is little scientific data on the point, but evidently people do speak to themselves."
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David CrystalWe now know that linguistic change does not operate in such an across- — David Crystal
"We now know that linguistic change does not operate in such an across-the-board manner. Some speakers introduce the change into their speech before others; some use it more frequently and consistently than others; and some words are affected before others. A more accurate view is to think of a change gradually spreading through the words of a language – a view that is known as a lexical diffusion. At first just a few people use a change sporadically in a few words (commonly occurring words are influenced very quickly); then a large number of words are affected, with the sound gradually being used more consistently; then the majority of the words take up the change."
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David Crystal
David Crystal
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David Crystal is a British linguist who studies the English language.
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"The subject matter ranges from subtle forms of intellectual sarcasm and humor to the crudest possible attacks on a persons courage, sexual prowess, or relatives. At one level, attacks may be subtle and indirect, involving allusion and figurative speech; at another, there may be explicit taunts, boasts, name calling, and jokes at the others expense."
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David CrystalQuote
"Fluency [is] smooth, rapid, effortless use of language."
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David CrystalQuote
"Joke exchanges are carried on in deadly earnest, like a verbal duel-mouth-to-mouth combat. Bang, bang: you’re (linguistically) dead."
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David CrystalQuote
"The aim of linguistics is to go beyond the study of individual languages to determine what the universal properties of language are, and to establish a ‘universal grammar’ that would account for the range of linguistic variation that is humanly possible."
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David CrystalQuote
"Pragmatics studies the factors that govern our choice of language in social interaction and the effects of our choice on others."
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David Crystal