| Question | Answer |
| M.A.K. Halliday | Language changes according to the needs of its users. |
| Jean Aitchson (Prescriptivist/Descriptivist) | Prescriptivist: Challenges change. Descriptivist: Encourages change. |
| Random Fluctuation Theory | Charles Hockett: Proposed that random "mistakes" led to change. Paul Postal: "Language is as unpredictable as fashion, and thus changes are random". |
| Wave/S-Curve | Geographical theory. Language is like a pond - drop a stone (word) in it and the ripples (trends of that word) will travel far and wide. |
| Substratum Theory | Change comes through "language contact". |
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