OTʜᴇB wrote:I think the point is that it doesn't quite fit the situation. My people have a virtually 100% literacy rate. Every child has a full education to the top level, and in order to really do anything, they will need to be fluent with the correct language. They'd be taught in it and read in it. The only time anyone might ever use any alternate dialect or language is talking with another person that also speaks that dialect, yet both will also know the correct language.
When your language get standardized, the literacy rate must be 100% and your conpeople should be only one city (before the expansion).
If you have many dialects, the different dialects may influence each other.
Isolation from other peoples is also important.
What may change the language:
-A famous poet may invent a style that changes the word order or use a common verb to expresses TAM. The style may become popular and people may use it and change the language.
-Idioms may appear because of unknown events.
-New concepts may be invented. Some concepts may be forgotten. New concepts may use current words and change the meaning of words for forgotten concepts.
-New objects may be invented and some objects may become obsolete.
It is easier to control mispronunciation with the culture of wishing the correct pronunciation. However, hypercorrection may occur.
It is difficult to control meaning and it may change, although it is slow.
Ex: Verbal offense -> Generic offense -> Physical offense -> Wound caused be an offense -> Any wounds
Another example is the culture. See this exemple: In a conculture, apple juice is popular and there is a root for it. 400 years later, it is not popular anymore, the word is forgotten and orange juice is popular. 400 years later, apple juice becomes popular again and the word for it may be invented by combining apple and juice. 200 years later, apple becomes used only in the juice, the fruit is forgotten by non-producers and the juice is shortened to 'apple'.