Aitchison's metaphors for language change include a metaphor describing it as a crumbling entity. Which metaphor is this?

• A. Infectious disease
• B. Crumbling castle
• C. Damp spoon syndrome
• D. Language river

Answer: (B)

Language change is being shown through different ways of imagining how a language evolves. When it’s described as a crumbling entity, the image is a crumbling castle—that idea casts the language standard as a fixed, grand fortress that slowly falls apart if not carefully maintained and defended. It captures a prescriptive view: change is decay of a cherished structure that needs to be protected.

So the metaphor describing language change as a crumbling entity is the crumbling castle. For contrast, infectious disease suggests change spreads like a illness, damp spoon implies laziness causes deterioration, and language as a river portrays natural, ongoing flow—none of which target the image of a decaying fortress.