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

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

Billy James Chavalala

Issue: Vol. 6 No.14 Article 18 pp.3652 – 3665
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561418 | Published online 30th December, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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ABSTRACT

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.

Keywords: Pragmatic Change, Diachronic Linguistics, Politeness Theory, Historical Pragmatics

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ABOUT AUTHOR(S)

Dr. Billy James Chavalala is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Limpopo, specializing in Language Methodology. Dr BJ Chavalala has made significant contributions to the development of DLE modules, supervision and projects. He has worked with different stakeholders, such as PenSalb, the DBE Exam Committee, and the Language Laboratory Researcher, to name a few. In addition to his professional work, Dr Billy James Chavalala is passionate about the less privileged and always ready to make them future leaders. He has written books, book chapters and several articles.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Chavalala, Billy James. “A Pragmatic Diachronic Analysis of English Language use throughout the 20th Century.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 14 (2025): 3629 – 3641, https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561418.