Lexical change often begins and ends in semantic peripheries

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Vejdemo
Keyword(s):  
Color Naming ◽  
Semantic Change ◽  
Linguistic Development ◽  
Lexical Change ◽  
Germanic Languages ◽  
Semantic Domains

Abstract The article discusses semantic change and lexical replacement processes in the color domain, based on color naming studies in seven Germanic languages (where diachronic intra-linguistic development is inferred from cross-linguistic synchronic studies) and from different generations of speakers in a single language (Swedish). Change in the color domain often begins and ends in conceptual peripheries, and I argue that this perspective is suitable for other semantic domains as well.

scholarly journals Diminutives and augmentatives in Beja (North-Cushitic)

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-80
Author(s):  
Martine Vanhove ◽  
Mohamed-Tahir Hamid Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Love ◽  
Sound Change ◽  
Corpus Analysis ◽  
General Mechanism ◽  
Semantic Change ◽  
Distribution Of Values ◽  
Gender Shift ◽  
Semantic Domains

Abstract The evaluative morphology of Beja consists of four devices: gender shift to feminine on nouns, and sound change (r>l) on nouns, verbs and adjectives form the diminutives. A suffix -loːj on adjectives, and -l on Manner converbs, form the augmentatives. The analysis focuses on the evaluative, emotional and other pragmatic values associated with these morphemes, size, endearment, praise, romantic love, contempt, politeness and eloquence. When relevant, the links to the general mechanism of semantic change, lambda-abstraction-specification proposed by Jurafsky (1996), is discussed. This paper also discusses productivity, cases where the evaluative device has scope over an adjacent noun instead of its host, the distribution of values across semantic domains and genres, and cases of lexicalization. The corpus analysis shows that the proportional frequency of pragmatic expressive connotations compared to the denotational meaning is higher for diminutives than for augmentatives. Further, with diminutives, positive emotional values are more frequent than negative ones, while with augmentatives attested pejorative values are very rare. The analysis is set within a typological framework.

scholarly journals Cross-linguistic constraints and lineage-specific developments in the semantics of cutting and breaking in Japonic and Germanic

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. A. Huisman ◽  
Roeland van Hout ◽  
Asifa Majid
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Change ◽  
Semantic Variation ◽  
Language Area ◽  
Linguistic Constraints ◽  
Germanic Languages

Abstract Semantic variation in the cutting and breaking domain has been shown to be constrained across languages in a previous typological study, but it was unclear whether Japanese was an outlier in this domain. Here we revisit cutting and breaking in the Japonic language area by collecting new naming data for 40 videoclips depicting cutting and breaking events in Standard Japanese, the highly divergent Tohoku dialects, as well as four related Ryukyuan languages (Amami, Okinawa, Miyako and Yaeyama). We find that the Japonic languages recapitulate the same semantic dimensions attested in the previous typological study, confirming that semantic variation in the domain of cutting and breaking is indeed cross-linguistically constrained. We then compare our new Japonic data to previously collected Germanic data and find that, in general, related languages resemble each other more than unrelated languages, and that the Japonic languages resemble each other more than the Germanic languages do. Nevertheless, English resembles all of the Japonic languages more than it resembles Swedish. Together, these findings show that the rate and extent of semantic change can differ between language families, indicating the existence of lineage-specific developments on top of universal cross-linguistic constraints.

The Iconic Index

Diachronica ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raimo Anttila ◽  
Sheila Embleton
Keyword(s):  
Charles Sanders Peirce ◽  
Semantic Change ◽  
Pronunciation Variation ◽  
Grammatical Agreement ◽  
Lexical Change

SUMMARY It is maintained that the basic semiotic concepts of icon and index in the Peircean sense give the best tools for both describing and explaining change. The notion of iconic index is used to explicate assimilation, morphophonemics, sociolectal pronunciation variation, grammatical agreement, and semantic change. In all these cases, the iconic index gives an accurate and insightful explanation. As a real demonstration of the worth of the concept of the iconic index, drastic lexical change is analyzed through the examples of Cockney rhyming slang and Australian avoidance (e.g., 'mother-in-law') languages. The iconic index also allows one to draw some parallels to certain Western taboos. Even in these instances of drastic lexical change, the iconic index holds its ground as a descriptive and explanatory tool. RÉSUMÉ Les auteurs maintiennent que les concepts fondamentaux de C. S. Peirce de 'icon' et de 'index' offrent les meilleurs outils pour la description et l'explication du changement linguistique. La notion de 'iconic index' est utilisée pour expliquer l'assimilation, la morphophonologie, la variation dans la prononciation individuelle, l'accord grammatical et le changement sémantique. Dans tous ces cas, l'index iconique donne une explication précise et perspicace. Pour démontrer l'utilité de ce concept, des exemples de changement lexical abrupt tirés du rime patois du Cockney et des langues australiennes qui connaissent un système qui fait les locuteurs éviter certains mots (e.g., ceux qui ont affaire avec la belle-mère). L'index iconique permet également d'établir certains parallèles ä des tabous occidentaux. Même dans ces cas de changement abrupt dans le lexique, le concept d'index iconique maintient son utilité comme moyen de description et d'explication. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Die Autoren stellen die Behauptung auf, daß von Charles Sanders Peirce entwickelte Begriffe wie 'Ikon' und 'Index' uns die besten Mittel an die Hand geben, Veränderungen zu beschreiben und zu erklaren. Der 'ikonische Index' dient dazu, Assimilation, Morphophonologie, Variationen in der individuellen Aussprache, grammatische Übereinstimmung sowie Bedeutungswandel zu erklären. In all diesen Fällen bietet der 'ikonische Index' genaue und erhellende Erklärungen. Um den Wert dieses Konzepts zu illustrieren, werden Beispiele aus volkstumlichen Reimen des Cockney und aus australischen Sprachen ge-wählt, die ein Prinzip kennen, demzufolge bestimmte lexikalische Bereiche (z.B. die Schwiegermutter betreffend) umgangen werden. Der 'ikonische Index' erlaubt uns auch, Parallelen zu bestimmten abendländischen Tabus zu ziehen. Selbst in diesen Fallen eines drastischen lexikalischen Wechsels erweist sich das Konzept als ein wichtiges Beschreibungs- und Erklärungs-mittel.

scholarly journals LEXICAL CHANGE WITH REFERENCE TO SOCIAL CONTACT AMONG THE SPEAKERS OF PASE DIALECT

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Budi Rizka ◽  
Zainuddin Zainuddin
Keyword(s):  
Social Contact ◽  
Syllable Structure ◽  
Semantic Change ◽  
Lexical Borrowing ◽  
Loan Words ◽  
Lexical Change ◽  
Potential Loss ◽  
Phonological Change

The aims of this study were to analyze the types, the patterns of lexical change with reference to social contact among the speakers of Pase dialect. The subjects of the study were personal documents written in Pase dialect as available in Language Department of Aceh. From the research, 505 lexicons were found, where 154 lexicons underwent loss. The percentage of lexical loss of noun was 75.32%, adjective 12.34%, and verb 12.34%. The number of lexical borrowings was 177 lexicons. The percentage of lexical borrowing of noun was 78.53%, adjective 15.25%, verb 5.09%, and adverb 1.13%. In phonological change, there were 155 lexicons. The percentage of phonological changes of noun was 89.68%, adjective 6.45%, verb 2.38%, and adverb 1.29%. In semantic change, there were 19 lexicons found, the percentages of which are: noun 68.42%, adjective 10.53%, and verb 21.05%. The patterns of lexical change with reference to social contact among the speakers of Pase dialect were potential loss in lexical loss, borrowings in the patterns of loan-words, loan-blend, loan-translation. The patterns of phonological change were lenition, fortition, vowel and syllable structure, syncope, apocope, and epenthesis. In semantic change, the patterns were narrowing, extension, figurative use, and pejoration.Keywords: lexical borrowing, Pase dialect, phonological change, semantic change

scholarly journals Évolution sémantique des prépositions spatiales de l’ancien au moyen français

2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-338
Author(s):  
Benjamin Fagard
Keyword(s):  
Partial Answer ◽  
Semantic Change ◽  
Middle French ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Semantic Development ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Semantic Domains

Summary The aim of this paper is to investigate a particular aspect of semantic change. Many theories have tried to capture the regularity in semantic change. In this respect, some linguists have claimed that space is the necessary starting point of any semantic development, and others have stated that space is situated at the same distance from the “semantic core” of a given lexeme as other semantic domains, such as time. I will formulate a partial answer to the question of the primacy of space. Using diachronic corpus data, I will examine prepositions in Old and Middle French (11th to 16th centuries). The prepositions I have focused on are vers, envers, devers, and pardevers, chosen from a wider corpus of prepositions (which I have studied in the same way) because of their semantic behavior, which is particularly complex, and which I try to explain here in detail.

Results and Prospects in the Study of Semantic Change: A Review of From Polysemy to Semantic Change (2008)

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 180-196
Author(s):  
Patrick McConvell ◽  
Maïa Ponsonnet
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
General Framework ◽  
Semantic Theory ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Semantic Change ◽  
General Evaluation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
And Diffusion ◽  
Semantic Domains

The topic of this review article is a volume addressing the relationship between polysemy and semantic change, a relationship which has been important in discussions of semantic theory and method particularly in recent years, and which has the potential to unite synchronic and diachronic approaches. The first part of this article consists of thorough reviews of the fourteen chapters in the volume, entitled From Polysemy to Semantic Change, edited by Martine Vanhove (2008). We review each of them in turn, providing a brief summary of the content of each chapter, as well as comments on the impact of the contribution to the study of polysemy and semantic change, and/or on its limits. The second part of the article presents a general evaluation of the volume, and reflects upon the achievements, limits and perspectives of the study of polysemy and semantic change. Some of the chapters demonstrate that a degree of generalization can be reached on these questions, and provide new and potentially productive ways forward in theory and method; others either do not have such aims, or struggle to provide a useful general framework. We consider why this may be the case, and suggest hypothetical solutions. In particular, we examine the difficulty met with drawing conclusions across semantic domains, and the lack of a framework taking language contact and diffusion into account in the study of semantic change.

A comparative study of semantic change in grammaticalization and lexicalization in Chinese and Germanic languages

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 593-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Zhiqun Xing
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Semantic Change ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Numerous Case ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Germanic Languages

This study explores the typological regularity of semantic change in grammaticalization and lexicalization in Chinese and Germanic languages. Earlier studies, mostly done on Indo-European languages (e.g. Heine et al. 1991, Traugott & Dasher 2002), suggest that semantic change follows the cline A>A, B>B. Based on numerous case studies of semantic change in grammaticalization and lexicalization in Chinese, this paper provides evidence that semantic change in Chinese follows a somewhat different pattern: A>A, B>A,B,C. The key factors responsible for this, as it will be argued, are twofold: Chinese grammar is typologically structured without inflections and Chinese words have become increasingly disyllabic. Indo-European languages, which exhibit quite different grammatical and morphological structures and diachronic evolution, therefore show a different tendency.

Regularity in Semantic Change

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Closs Traugott ◽  
Richard B. Dasher
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Change

Implicit stereotyping and prejudice and the primed Stroop task

1999 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry Kawakami ◽  
Kenneth L. Dion ◽  
John F. Dovidio
Keyword(s):  
Stroop Task ◽  
Color Naming ◽  
Stereotype Activation ◽  
Racial Categories ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Automatic Activation ◽  
Black Stereotypes ◽  
Implicit Prejudice ◽  
Implicit Stereotyping ◽  
Naming Latencies

In the present study, automatic stereotype activation related to racial categories was examined utilizing a primed Stroop task. The speed of participants' ink-color naming of stereotypic and nonstereotypic target words following Black and White category primes were compared: slower naming times are presumed to reflect interference from automatic activation. The results provide support for automatic activation of implicit prejudice and stereotypes. With respect to prejudice, naming latencies tended to be slower for positive words following White than Black primes and slower for negative words following Black than White primes. With regard to stereotypes, participants demonstrated slower naming latencies for Black stereotypes, primarily those that were negatively valenced, following Black than White category primes. These findings provide further evidence of the automatic activation of stereotypes and prejudice that occurs without intention.

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