We know how much language has changed due to the written word especially the invention of the printing press leading to the written word being produced for mass audiences, which equals the increase of standardisation. Interesting link:
https://books.google.com/ngrams this link goes to a site I where you can explore how words come and go from the 1800 up to 2000. It's a good website to explore as see how far words for back!
The written word needs to be mentioned in relation to F.P.A in an exam context.
Stephen Fry's Planet Word - Spreading the Word
Writing allows us to speak to the past and see our future. Nowadays it's about seeing the difference between speaking and writing and how it's converging. Writing became an optional extra, showing us the innate ability of how to use language. Chomsky and Lennenburg would agree with that statement! The access of reading and writing helps us to explore the past and discover more about it. But how did writing come about.
Fry sys they may be due to taxation and currency but all we know is that once it started it never stopped. It led to stories poems laws and events being written down that's begin with you had to be educated to understand it.
Introduction to the alphabet was an important step as it was about trading and spreading the word. Religion also have writing and it became a key influence to language change as it showed instrumental power of religion for example the Vatican as no one can edit Gods word. It added synoptic ideas and helped to preserve myths, stories and rules.
A major revolution for writing with the events of the printing press by William Caxton. It was about romanisation of language and hope things alphabet simplicity.. Books became free from handwriting and Geoffrey Chancer was the first authors to get his work printed. However, he died before he could see his work printed but had still requested standardisation of language. This house to suggest that standardisation is revolutionary as the bigger the audience the bigger the shared understanding. BUT it is over a period of time.
The influence of the printing press is still seen today as little letters as still called lower case letter and bigger letters are still called upper case letters. This terminology was all thanks to the printing press. It helped to create diversity and change people's attitude to learning and knowledge, otherwise known as enlightment.
Technology is a major factor in language change. It helped to create new ways of thinking like the creation of library's and how now they are using the Internet to help become the new search engine for books and the e-book. Amazon for example has now become the biggest publishers today, which their electronic versions of books helping to increase sale of the much beloved stories we know. The Internet as become the way we consume knowledge these days as if texts are printed, it is every hard to edit them afterwards . However, online they can be change of corrected for consumer purpose like Wikipedia. There is less pressure to be correct to. There is more scope and that leads into in informalisation of language.
Comparing now and the past, the generation today write a lots more than they used too. Amd it's know not just the elite that can understand and use it. The immediacy to find out more and to create a direct connection between the reader and the writer has become an important purpose. However, it is always hard to predict where it is going to go next.
