What is a Functional Shift?

The evolution of language is fascinating. One way language can change is by functional shifts. It is amazing how fast it can change, especially with so many technical terms popping up.

For example, "text" has been a noun, now it is also a verb referring to sending short written messages - texting.

The word "good" is a very old word in the English language,but it's used in a little different way today as a part of an expression. We still say, "he's a good boy", but it's becoming popular when you are asked if you want something to drink or whatever, we answer "No thanks,I'm good."

Great subject- great article

@SkyWhisperer - I think that happens when the usage of the term reaches critical mass. I don’t think there is anything more official to it than that. Most dictionaries try to reflect words not only as they are used in the general language canon but also in pop culture, so that the dictionaries are comprehensive reference texts.

To this end, I believe that a linguistic analysis of pop culture terminology reveals a wide variety of changes down through the years, more for figures of speech than anything else. What I still don’t understand is how “fat chance” and “slim chance” can mean the same thing.

@David09 - The question I have is when does a linguistic shift become official? That is to say, when do you look a formal dictionary and find that a noun which has shifted is now a bona fide verb or whatever it is?

@NathanG - I positively can’t stand the word “like” as it’s used nowadays. This is more than a linguistic shift; it’s a linguistic degradation. Teenagers are especially guilty of misusing this word.

It’s basically a form of filler or padding for pauses in speech, as when they say, “I’m like” and “They’re like,” etc. They also say “I’m all” and “They’re all,” etc., which is supposed to describe a state of mind or something.

The word “goes” is another example where the meaning of a verb-go, in this case-has been transformed into something else. So when a teenager says, “She goes” what she really means is “She says.”

Every time I hear my kids speak this way I try to correct them, but it’s amazing how much this behavior has been ingrained into them. When they try to avoid using these filler words, they don’t know what to say.

I think that this is an excellent definition of a functional shift, although I prefer the term lexical shift as the term functional is somewhat broad.

A very popular semantic change example that comes to mind is the word “Google,” which is a noun that describes a popular search engine. However, over time people began to use it as a verb. They would say things like “Google this”-meaning search this online.

The fact that search and Google have become synonymous indicates, I believe, the extent of the search engine’s dominance over the Internet.

Other examples of this include popular nouns like Kleenex and Xerox. People will say “Pass me a Kleenex” when they mean pass me a tissue, or “Xerox this” when they mean make a photocopy.

Again, nothing beats the kind of brand recognition where your product becomes synonymous with a generic verb; I’d say you’ve pretty much arrived.