CHANGING OF WORD MEANING IN ENGLISH

CHANGING OF WORD MEANING IN ENGLISH

Authors

  • Sevara Abdulazizova Supervisor Associate professor of ASIFL
  • Abduganiyeva Zebiniso Zafarjon kizi Student of ASIFL

Keywords:

semantic change, semantic shift, lexical change language evolution, diachronic linguistics historical linguistics, meaning transformation, word development, semantic broadening, semantic narrowing, generalization of meaning, specialization of meaning, meaning drift, metaphorical shift, metonymic change, euphemism, dysphemism, amelioration.

Abstract

The evolution of word meanings in the English language, known as semantic change, reflects a complex interplay of historical, cultural, and social dynamics; through processes such as amelioration, pejoration, generalization, specialization, and metaphorical extension, lexical items undergo significant semantic transformation, illustrating the fluid and adaptive nature of linguistic expression across time.

References

Blank, A. (1999). Why Do New Meanings Occur? A Cognitive Typology of the Motivations for Lexical Semantic Change. In Blank, A., & Koch, P. (Eds.), Historical Semantics and Cognition. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Traugott, E. C., & Dasher, R. B. (2001). Regularity in Semantic Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Ullmann, S. (1962). Semantics: An Introduction to the Science of Meaning. Oxford: Blackwell.

Geeraerts, D. (2010). Theories of Lexical Semantics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bloomfield, L. (1933). Language. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

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Published

2025-06-01
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