World War I had a significant impact on language from 1914 to 1918. New weapons like gas masks, trench mortars, and different types of planes led to new military terms. Medical knowledge advanced as injuries increased, and women took on new jobs as men fought. Rationing was implemented on the home front due to food shortages. Beyond war, scientific advancements in physics and psychology expanded terminology. Cinema and dances like the tango rose in popularity for entertainment.

1. The 1910’s
By Daria Dlugosz

2. World War I
• WWI made a very big impact on language development.
• It began in 1914 and ended in 1918 November 18th with a ceasefire.
• New methods of attack and defence were developed, new weaponry and
people even needed new sounds. Such as:
• At the battle of the Ypres, poison gas was used for the first time, which
initiated the development of gas masks to protect from mustard gas.
Creeping barrage
Trench mortars
Whizz bang was the sound of
light shell being fired from one
of the smaller calibre field guns
as it came to explode.

3. WWI- Machinery
• There was a very big development of machinery.
• Air warfare had a big impact: words such as dogfights and air aces became
more common. There was also distinctions made between bomber and
fighter planes.
• There was also a development of boats, such as:
Battle cruiser
Carrier

4. Home Front WWI
• Munitioneers and munitionettes worked day and night in factories
making ammunition for the soldiers.
• Women also became trained to do typical ‘male jobs’ such as: postmen,
milkmen and porters at railway stations.
• Those in special serviced occupations like train drivers, and coal
miners were left in their profession.
• Other men were required to sign up and become recruits to help the
war effort and by 1916 all single men aged 18 to 40 were required to
conscript in the national service.

5. Living conditions during WWI
• Rationing was implemented due to food shortages. However, massive effort was put
in order to send food parcels to the troops.
• Coupon books were allocated to help in rationing. Each person had 60 coupons to
use over a year, they were different colours so that they couldn’t be used at the same
time. The Government would decide when the next colour could be used.
• This was also the first time that civilians were subjected to air raids and blackouts as
German Zeps would fly over England.

6. Medical Development
• Medical knowledge developed rapidly as there were new issues
occurring due to the war such as trench foot.
• Physics department looked into x-ray research to help with broken
bones and to find bullets.
• Amputations became more common due to trench foot being
untreated due to a shortage of doctors.
• In 1913 Lewisohn discovered sodium citrate stopped blood from
clotting.
• There was also an attempt to develop facial construction, which made
a very big progress.

7. Titanic 1912
• At 11.40pm on the night of 14 April 1912, en route to New York and on her
maiden voyage, the RMS Titanic struck the iceberg that would ultimately lead
to her sinking less than 3 hours later. At around 2.20am on the morning of
15 April, RMS Titanic disappeared beneath the surface of the Atlantic
Ocean, a disaster that resulted in the loss of more than 1,500 lives, almost
two-thirds of the people on board.

8. Scientific Development
• Albert Einstein followed up his special theory of relativity with a general
theory of relativity. The concept of space and time had made it’s first
appearance.
• Isotope and automatic nucleus were named. In biology department
chromosome, gene and vitamins were added.

9. Psychological Language
• Freudian terminology that began in 1900’s expanded dramatically in 1910’s
words such as Oedipus complex, denial, repression and persona psyche are
just a few terms developed by Freud and Gustav Jung.
• They also developed the concepts of each and explored unknown
psychological illnesses such as schizophrenia.

10. Entertainment
• The cross word was invented.
• Cinema was the most popular public entertainment. With silent
movies such as Westerns, news reels and cartoons.
• Slapstick comedy was very popular.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc6MV2G41X0
• In the 1910’s most popular forms of dancing were: the bunny hug,
the tango, shimmy and the cooch
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpfSx9zwAIQ

11. Fashion
• Most popular type of fashion at the Front was the
trench coat.
• Back home women hobble and split skirts. As well
as the development of motor car journeys meant
that scarves were used as a head covering.
• Bobbed hair was also coming into fashion.

12. Other countries
• Russia- Russian revolution occurred in February 1917, Nicholas II was
forced to abdicate the throne and a Liberal Government was created.
Kerensky became a PM and formed a Provisional Government. In October
Bolsheviks seized power led by Lenin and Trotsky. In 1918 the Russian
revolutionees execute the Czar.
• In 1918 Spanish influenza affected the world killing 50 million to 100 million
people.

13. Language
• During 1910’s was the first recorded use of ‘homosexual’ as a noun, this was
not accepted however and often would be used around negative
connotations such as ‘faggots or poofers’.