Recently, researchers conducted a large-scale linguistic analysis that challenged long-standing traditional views on language change. The study found that older people not only follow the footsteps of the young but, in some cases, even actively lead changes in language. The findings of this study were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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The research team analyzed nearly 7.9 million texts of speeches made in the U.S. Congress between 1873 and 2010. These speeches were delivered by thousands of speakers with known ages, providing a valuable opportunity to analyze linguistic behavior. The researchers focused on about 100 words that may have undergone changes in meaning during the 20th century, such as "monitor," "articles," and "satellite." Using advanced language models, the researchers predicted and analyzed the contextual usage of these words, tracking their changing meanings.
This study overturns the long-held belief in sociolinguistics that "generational replacement" drives language change, with young people as the main drivers and overlooking the adaptability of the elderly. The results show that although young people usually adopt new word meanings faster, the elderly also follow at a surprisingly fast pace, with an average lag of two to three years. This means that in many cases, the elderly are not the "laggards" in language change.
More surprisingly, the study also found that in some cases, older speakers used new word meanings first. For example, during the Cold War, the shift in the geopolitical meaning of the word "satellite" saw some elderly speakers ahead of the younger generation.
The researchers pointed out that this finding indicates that language change is not just a result of intergenerational transmission, but is also influenced by social and cultural contexts and the atmosphere of the times. By analyzing well-known speakers who frequently used certain words over several decades, the researchers found that individual usage changes are closely related to broader usage patterns.
The results of this study offer linguists a new perspective when modeling and interpreting language change. Although the study has its limitations, such as focusing only on adult congressional speeches, it demonstrates the potential of computational methods in large-scale linguistic research. In the future, the researchers hope to expand the sample to include a wider range of people and other languages to gain a more comprehensive understanding of language change.
Key Points:
📈 The study shows that the elderly can also quickly adapt to new word meanings and, in some cases, even lead language change.
👥 Analyzed nearly 7.9 million congressional speeches, revealing the complexity of language change and the influence of the era.
🔍 The study hopes to expand its scope to include more people and languages to deeply explore the process of language change.
