Word
of the Day for Friday 31st October 2014
Cline \klahyn\
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Noun
1. Linguistics. (in systemic linguistics) a scale of continuous
gradation; continuum.
2. Biology. The gradual change in certain characteristics
exhibited by members of a series of adjacent populations of organisms of
the same species.
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Quotes
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The cline of register, then, represents the
progression followed by social groups and individuals as the meanings which
they exchange develop an increasing cognitive and functional complexity.
-- Helen Leckie-Tarry, Language and Context, 1995
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Origin
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Cline is derived from the Greek word klīnein. It entered
English in the 1930’s.
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