Which theory posits language changes because society does?

• A. Halliday's Functional Theory
• B. Bailey's Wave Model
• C. Linguistic Reflectionism
• D. Trudgill's View

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that language changes arise from how we use language to meet social purposes. Halliday's Functional Theory (Systemic Functional Linguistics) treats language as a tool for making meaning in social contexts. The choices we make are shaped by the functions we want to perform—sharing information, establishing relationships, organizing discourse. When society shifts—new technologies, new communities, new norms—the functions language must serve also change, so the language system adapts. That makes language change naturally stem from social life and its evolving needs, which is why this theory best fits the statement.

Bailey’s Wave Model focuses on how innovations spread through speech communities, which is about diffusion rather than the driving cause of change. Linguistic Reflectionism holds that language mirrors reality rather than being driven by social function. Trudgill’s View highlights social factors in variation and change, but Halliday’s Functional Theory directly ties change to social purposes and functional needs in use.