Which statement best describes language change?

Which statement best describes language change?

• A. New words are added and/or old words are lost
• B. Everything remains constant over time
• C. Meanings become fixed
• D. Word order never changes

Answer: (A)

Language change is about how a language evolves over time, especially in its vocabulary. New terms appear to describe innovations, technology, and culture, while old words fall out of use or shift in meaning. This makes the lexicon larger or thinner as time passes. This statement is the best fit because it captures that ongoing growth and loss of words—the heart of how languages change. Words come in, words disappear, and speakers continuously adapt vocabulary to fit new ideas and contexts. The other ideas imply things stay the same, meanings never shift, or word order stays fixed forever, which doesn’t reflect how languages actually behave. Languages constantly shift in pronunciation, syntax, and semantics, and they borrow and restructure as communities interact.

Language change is about how a language evolves over time, especially in its vocabulary. New terms appear to describe innovations, technology, and culture, while old words fall out of use or shift in meaning. This makes the lexicon larger or thinner as time passes.

This statement is the best fit because it captures that ongoing growth and loss of words—the heart of how languages change. Words come in, words disappear, and speakers continuously adapt vocabulary to fit new ideas and contexts.

The other ideas imply things stay the same, meanings never shift, or word order stays fixed forever, which doesn’t reflect how languages actually behave. Languages constantly shift in pronunciation, syntax, and semantics, and they borrow and restructure as communities interact.