Semantic Change

by: Thomas Heim

1. Teil: Ausführung

2. Teil: Handout

3. Teil: Quiz + Lösung

1. Teil: Ausführung

1. What is semantic change?

“Semantic change deals with change in meaning, understood to be a change in the concepts associated with a word […]” (Campbell 1998: 255). Semantic change: a new meaning is added to the already existing meaning(s) of a word and then this new meaning is lexicalised (innovative semantic change), or one of the already lexicalised meanings is no longer used and becomes extinct (reductive semantic change) (cf Blank 2001: 70 f.).

2. What is changing and how?

2.1 The notion of ‘meaning’

- Denotation: what a word refers to
(1) gay ‘merry, lighthearted’ > ‘homosexual’
- Connotation: what a word evokes
(2) OE ceorl ‘man’ > MnE churl ‘boor, villain, oaf’
- Register: the set of contexts in which it is appropriate to use a word
(3) thou, thee, thy, thine > you, you, your, yours

2.2 The process of semantic innovation and lexicalisation (Blank 2001: 71-74)

[figur only in downloadfile]

What is semantic change?

“Semantic change deals with change in meaning, understood to be a change in the concepts associated with a word […]” (Campbell 1998: 255). To some of you, Campbell’s definition may seem a bit simplistic. Some scholars, too (for example Blank whom we’ll be hearing of later on), argue that it’s not one meaning of word that changes, but with semantic change a new meaning is added to the already existing meaning or meanings of a word and then this new meaning is lexicalised, or one of the already lexicalised meanings is no longer used and becomes extinct. I think Campbell’s definition can suffice as a basis for our little “immersion” into semantic change. And what is more important than a theoretically watertight definition is a “practical insight” into semantic change. So let’s have quick look on what exactly changes when words change their meanings.

2. What’s changing and how?

2.1 The notion of ‘meaning’

When we talk about changes in meaning, it’s useful to keep in mind that the notion of ‘meaning’ en’compasses a range of concepts: (denotation is free of individual associations)

• The denotation of a word is its ‘meaning’ in the narrowest logical and semantic sense: what a word denotes is what it refers to. For example, the average straight guy won’t too happy to be confronted with something like “You’re so gay”. Cf gay ‘merry, lighthearted’ > ‘homosexual’ (We won’t classify this kind of semantic change yet.)
• A word’s connotation, on the other hand, is not what it refers to, but what it evokes. A word with a positive connotation indicates that the speaker approves of the thing being referred to; a word with a negative connotation indicates the opposite. Cf OE ceorl ?/tSOrl/ ‘man’, sometimes even ‘nobleman, hero’ > MnE churl ‘boor’, villain, oaf’ [German equivalents would be Rüpel, Tölpel, Dummkopf].

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