English phonetics and phonology WORDFORMATION 2 Semantic change

English phonetics and phonology WORD-FORMATION 2 Semantic change Lesson 8 A 1

Original languages alcohol Arabic boss Dutch croissant French lilac Persian piano Italian pretzel German robot Czech tycoon Japanese yoghurt Turkish zebra Bantu 2

Semantic borrowing ofis khobbi boykot Russian rajio konpyu-ta kissu Japanese le zapping le midwife le showbiz French 3

Calques - loan translations n n from skyscraper to grattaciel from ubermensch to superman from hot dogs to perros calientes from boyfriend to boifurendo 4

Grammaticalisation what’s the rule? Singular Plural Italian Plural English pizza pizze pizzas hamburgers walkman? walkmans? panino panini panino(e)s panini(e)s 5

What has happened to the meaning in these cases ? (1) BEFORE thing public assembly companion someone who eats with you broadcast to sow seeds in a field NOW any entity any friend to transmit by media 6

Broadening n These words have broadened their meaning. In Olde English the word dogge use to refer to one breed of dog. It now refers to all breeds 7

What has happened to the meaning in these cases ? (2) BEFORE NOW mete any kind of food a specific kind of food (meat) wife any woman a married woman 8

Narrowing n In these cases the words have narrowed their meaning from a general meaning to a more particular one 9

What has happened to the meaning in these cases ? (3) BEFORE NOW villein servant criminal notorious famous unfavourably wellknown vulgar ordinary crude, badmannered 10

Deterioriation/Pejoration n The word has developed a negative connotation over time 11

What has happened to the meaning in these cases ? (4) mischievous BEFORE NOW disastrous naughty 12

Amelioration n The word has developed a more positive connotation over time 13

Processes of change 1. 2. 3. 4. Broadening - when a word widens its meaning (thing) Narrowing - when a word becomes more specialised (meat) Pejoration - when a word develops a negative connotation (vulgar) Amelioration - when a word loses a negative connotation (mischievous) 14

Why does change happen? n n n Because the relation between form and meaning is arbitrary in language Because words are polysemous (they can have different meanings connected to a central meaning) Because children use words with broader meanings and these sometimes come into the language (broadening) 15

Other types of semantic change n Euphemism n Politically correct language 16

Euphemism n n a long illness economical with the truth adult video industrial action n n cancer liar pornography strike 17

Politically correct language n Political correctness (often abbreviated to PC) is a term used to describe language or behaviour that is intended to provide a minimum of offence, particularly to racial, cultural, or other identity groups. A text that conforms to the ideals of political correctness is said to be politically correct. 18