Here are the major contentions:
Analogy:
* Advocates: Linguists like Ferdinand de Saussure and Leonard Bloomfield championed analogy as the primary driving force behind language change.
* Key Argument: Language change often involves the extension of existing patterns and rules to new cases. This creates regularities and simplifies the language system.
* Example: The plural of "ox" is "oxen" not "oxes." This is an analogy to other nouns like "children" and "men."
Anomaly:
* Advocates: Linguists like William Dwight Whitney and later, generative grammarians, emphasized the role of irregularities and exceptions in language change.
* Key Argument: Language change can also involve the introduction of new, unpredictable elements that disrupt existing patterns. These anomalies can be influenced by factors like borrowing, sound changes, and idiosyncratic usage.
* Example: The irregular plural of "child" (children) defies the regular "s" plural pattern found in most English nouns.
Major Contentions:
* The Nature of Language Change: Analogy proponents see change as fundamentally driven by the desire for regularity and simplicity. Anomaly proponents argue that change is inherently messy and unpredictable, driven by diverse factors beyond just analogy.
* The Role of Regularity: Analogy supporters view regularity as the primary goal of language change, emphasizing the importance of consistent patterns. Anomaly supporters argue that regularity is not always the driving force and that exceptions and irregularities can be just as important as regularities.
* The Influence of External Factors: Anomaly supporters often emphasize the influence of external factors like borrowing and contact on language change. Analogy proponents tend to focus more on internal forces within the language system itself.
The Debate Today:
* While the debate is ongoing, modern linguistics recognizes both analogy and anomaly as important forces in language change.
* Linguists now understand that language change is a complex process that involves both the extension of existing patterns and the introduction of new, potentially irregular elements.
* Furthermore, they acknowledge that language change can be influenced by both internal and external factors.
In conclusion, the analogy-anomaly debate highlights the complex and multifaceted nature of language change. It demonstrates the importance of considering both regularities and irregularities, as well as internal and external influences, to understand how languages evolve over time.