Which model explains language change as starting slowly and then accelerating as it becomes more widely adopted?

• A. Chen's S-curve Model
• B. Bailey's Wave Model
• C. Halliday's Functional Theory
• D. Linguistic Reflectionism

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how language changes spread through communities over time. This pattern is an S-shaped diffusion: a few innovators try a new form, uptake is slow at first, then it speeds up as more people adopt it, and finally it slows again as the feature becomes widespread and saturated.

Chen's S-curve Model captures that exact trajectory. It describes the cumulative number of adopters rising gradually, then accelerating after a tipping point when adoption becomes self-sustaining, and eventually leveling off as most speakers have adopted the change. This fits the question’s description of starting slowly and then accelerating as it becomes more widely used.

The other models describe different aspects of diffusion or language function. Bailey's Wave Model emphasizes how changes spread geographically in waves across communities, rather than the overall timing pattern of adoption. Halliday's Functional Theory is about the social purposes language serves and how choices express meaning, not the diffusion rate. Linguistic Reflectionism isn’t about the diffusion timing of language change.