Abstract:

This paper aims to present the reasons for lexical change in modern English, Spanish and German. Grammar and phonetics within a language are relatively closed systems, whereas the lexicon of any language is determined and adapted to the constant changes from both the community where the language is used, but also from the global influence. Therefore, the lexical system is a rather open system, which is a logical consequence of our ever-changing world. This paper will present and discuss both internal (linguistic) and external (extra linguistic) factors as reasons for language change. The focus, however, will be on exploring the extra linguistic factors related to lexical change, lexical addition and loss in an era of increasing global technological improvements and mobility. The sociolinguistic, political, contact induced influence, historical, technological motivation and other external factors will be discussed in the paper as the extra linguistic motivation that lies behind this process of language change in the mentioned three languages. The reasons for the constant change of languages are difficult to determine. The same global influence often serves as a different factor in different languages or communities. The paper will compare the motivation for lexical change in these three languages and it would finally provide an insight of the most influenced fields and spheres of life where innovations and alterations occur.

Keywords:

Lexical change, English language, Spanish language, German language, extra linguistic factor.