Words that stay and words that go: factors affecting word survival and obsolescence in English

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While new words in English have received considerable scholarly attention, this project will address the so-far neglected topic of the longer-term survival or loss of words. Its aim is to identify and assess, systematically, the factors influencing lexical loss/persistence and the role in this of psycholinguistic processes. The relevant factors will be applied to historical word samples to determine their effect and interaction. The project will contribute to the understanding of lexical change in English and - more widely - to forging a link between two currently separate fields of enquiry: historical lexical change and the processing of words in the mind.