Jespersen's Cycle
Jespersen's cycle is a fancy way of describing the changes in how people use words over time. Imagine you have a toy box filled with lots of different toys. You might play with some toys more than others, and eventually, you might even stop playing with some of the toys altogether. The same thing happens with words.
Jespersen's cycle says that when people start using a word a lot, they might add extra words to it to make it stronger or more clear. Then, after a while, those extra words might become unnecessary and people stop using them again. It's like when you say something is "really, really good" but eventually, you just say it's "good" again.
This process happens over and over again throughout history, and it can be seen in many different languages. Sometimes, new words are even created as part of this cycle. So just like you might eventually get tired of playing with one toy and switch to another, people get tired of using certain words and switch to new ones. And that's Jespersen's cycle in a nutshell!
Jespersen's cycle says that when people start using a word a lot, they might add extra words to it to make it stronger or more clear. Then, after a while, those extra words might become unnecessary and people stop using them again. It's like when you say something is "really, really good" but eventually, you just say it's "good" again.
This process happens over and over again throughout history, and it can be seen in many different languages. Sometimes, new words are even created as part of this cycle. So just like you might eventually get tired of playing with one toy and switch to another, people get tired of using certain words and switch to new ones. And that's Jespersen's cycle in a nutshell!