Semantic change. Causes of Semantic Change.

Semantic changeis the development of the word and its semantic structure. The language is a system, its body develops and all the units too. If we try to compare the meaning of the word of different languages or of different times, they are different: I'm fond of reading: In O.E. fond meant foolish - no connection.

Linguists payed a great attention on Semantic change. At the end of 19^th - beginning of 20^th century Brilland Poffinvestigated Semantic change and noticed that some words specialize their meaning and some - generalize. Specializemeans narrowing: case (event) - becomes case in medicine. Generalize- when a word extends its meaning: to fly - to move with the help of wings - becomes to move quickly, without any wings, As any problem, Semantic change has its nature, reasons, problems and as a result -Causes There are two types of Semantic changes: 1) Linguistic; 2) Extra-linguistic(any change i the society which results the change in naming objects: inventing a new word {on the basis of existing linguistics), borrowing, to name with the help of existing word-association): a box (????) - association, cause itlooks like a box; black box -mysterious: in real it'sorange. 1) Linguisticcause may be: a) Syntagmatic; b) Paradigmatic, a) Syntagmatic.There is a term - ellipsis, when instead of two components we use only one: to starve, to propose; b) Paradigmaticlevel -discrimination of synonyms, It means that there existed two or more synonymic words but in the ciurse of time they changesd their meaning: deer denoted any beast then a word animal appeared. First the coincided, but then they became two different words: deer - special beast, animal - general beast.

9. Types of Semantic change. Result \

There are Directand Figurativemeanings of the word, so we try to figure out all the changes of meanings and its pecularities. It's closely connected to the stylistics, it states figurative meaning.

We destinguish 1) Similarityand 2) Contiguityof meanings. 1) Similarityof meanings

- metaphor, based on the shape, position, duration: head- the head of department (position). 2) Contiguity:a) Metonymy- also transform the meaning, but we use part for a whole: a plate of soup, b) Instrumental metonymy- we use an instrument: the writers are the best pen\ 3) Positional metonymy- the name of the place instead of people: Kyiv's reply, 4)Synecdoche- pert for the whole, name of the inventor or head of the company for the whole company; Macentosh, Diesel, Xerox; 5) Hyperbole-exaggeration: hundred years; 6) Litota- minimize: / hate it- it's not good] 7) Euphemism- to milder the situation - figurative meaning; 8) Zoozemy: when we try to find out similarity between an animal and a person: deer party- ??????????, hen party

- ????????, a fox, a snake...

The Results of Semantic changeare the foliowings: First of all we observe the changes in denotational and connotational meaning.These changes are in the focus of linguistics, it notices the changes in denotationai meaning first of alL The change results in the restrictionalmeaning or extentionalmeaning: queen - first of all denotes a woman, a squaw was the synonym of it; to write - O.E. to scratch - handwirttngs, writings now. Generalizationof the meaning (extention) - to fly. Connotational component:1) emigration of the neaning; 2) degradation of the meaning, 1) Emiliorating development - the meaning is improved: minister now is high-rank position, O,E, - boy, servant; knight helped and defended his master; bad fellow meant a villager or peasant. 2) Degradation.In the course of time some old meanings died out, we can't find them in the dictionary: a spoon was a thing of wood. There are some words with lots of meaning, and it's very difficult to find the first one. While speaking about semantic change, there is a qualitative change - appearance of polysemantic words; qualitative words are lost, dead, so appered homonymy. Semantic changeis the universal problem, in each language; it is researched diachronically: how, what is the result of this change.

Date: 2016-06-12; view: 367