A Pragmatic Diachronic Analysis of English Language use throughout the 20th Century

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This study conducted a pragmatic diachronic analysis of English language use throughout the 20th century, with the aim of examining how pragmatic features such as speech acts, politeness strategies, implicatures, and deixis evolved over time in response to historical, cultural, and technological developments. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between linguistic change and shifting communicative norms across different decades. A qualitative research design was employed, incorporating corpus-based analysis of selected political speeches, literary texts, media discourse, and formal correspondence from each quarter of the century. The data was analysed using key frameworks in pragmatics, including Grice’s Cooperative Principle and Brown’s Politeness Theory. The study found that the use of pragmatic elements shifted from highly formal, indirect, and deferential expressions in the early 20th century to more direct, informal, and inclusive forms of communication by the century’s end. These changes were associated with broader sociopolitical shifts, including movements toward equality, democratization, and increased global interaction. The study concluded that pragmatic features are closely tied to socio-historical contexts and evolve alongside societal values and norms. It was recommended that future research extend the diachronic analysis into the 21st century, particularly within digital and multicultural communication domains. This study contributes to scholarship by linking historical linguistics with pragmatics, providing a comprehensive framework for examining language change from a pragmatic perspective and encouraging further cross-linguistic and cross-cultural studies.

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