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Shift and Change of Meaning

This document discusses shift and change of meaning in semantics. Shift of meaning refers to the broadening, narrowing, or changing of connotations of a word's meaning over time, without replacing the original referent. Change of meaning means replacing the meaning of the original referent. Factors that contribute to shift and change include each new generation finding new ways to use language, vagueness of meaning, loss of motivation, and the open structure of vocabulary. Causes include linguistic changes like new inventions or ideas, historical changes, social and psychological influences, and the impact of foreign languages. Amelioration refers to a word gaining a more positive meaning over time, while pejoration means a word takes on a more negative meaning,

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475 views

Shift and Change of Meaning

This document discusses shift and change of meaning in semantics. Shift of meaning refers to the broadening, narrowing, or changing of connotations of a word's meaning over time, without replacing the original referent. Change of meaning means replacing the meaning of the original referent. Factors that contribute to shift and change include each new generation finding new ways to use language, vagueness of meaning, loss of motivation, and the open structure of vocabulary. Causes include linguistic changes like new inventions or ideas, historical changes, social and psychological influences, and the impact of foreign languages. Amelioration refers to a word gaining a more positive meaning over time, while pejoration means a word takes on a more negative meaning,

Uploaded by

SorayaHermawan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SHIFT AND CHANGE OF MEANING

Semantics

10/25/15

aya/Semantics

Shift of Meaning

It is the symptoms of broadening, narrowing,


connotating, and synthesizing meaning of a word
in a semantic/lexical field.
In shift of meaning, the former referent is not
changed or replaced but the former referent
undergoes the broadening or narrowing of
meaning
The examples are holiday, dog, meat, wife, etc.

10/25/15

aya/Semantics

Change of Meaning

It means replacement of meaning of the


former referent
For example, canggih, foya, gay

10/25/15

aya/Semantics

Factors contributing to shift and


change of meaning

Each new generation has to find a way of


using language of the previous generation
Vagueness/uncertainty of meaning
Loss of motivation
Structure of vocabulary is open

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aya/Semantics

Causes of shift and change of meaning

Linguistic
Historic

Social
Psychological

Creation/invention of new objects


New ideas
Concepts of science

Taboo

Influence of foreign Language


10/25/15

aya/Semantics

Amelioration and Pejoration

Ameliorative is taken from the word melioratwhich means better/to make better
Thus, amelioration is a linguistic process by which a
word over a period of time grows more elevated in
meaning and more positive.
Pejorative is taken from the word pejor- which
means worse.
Thus, pejoration is a change over time in the
meaning of a word so that it becomes less favorable
or more negative. e.g. cunning
10/25/15

aya/Semantics

Examples of pejoration & amelioration

'Idiot'
'moron
'Chav',
childaggressive
teenagers (junivenile
deliquency)

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aya/Semantics

brave, before is
"uncivilized" (cf.
barbarous)
knight, before denoted "a
male servant"
Fond (maybe related to
fun) originally meant
foolish
'Tree-hugger. chase up a
tree
environmentalists
7

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