词汇学Lecture 7.ppt

Courseware 3 English Lexicology Instructor: Chen Jinrong Semantic Changes Lecture Seven From sociolinguistic point of view we know that vocabulary, which is the most unstable element of a language, not only changes, but also changes quickly, both in form and content. Comparatively the content is even more unstable than the form. Obviously the gradual change of meaning in words is a universal feature of human language . In the course of the development of language, old words dies out , new words are added , and existing words change their meanings . Changes of meaning can be brought about by many causes. Change in meaning is called semantic change . I. Causes of Changes 1. Extralinguistic Causes Historical Causes: Different kinds changes in a nation ’s life, in its culture, knowledge, technology, arts, lead to gaps appearing in the vocabulary which beg to be filled. Newly created objects, new concepts and phenomena must be named. Three ways for providing new names for newly created concepts: making new words , borrowing foreign ones and applying some old word to a new object or notion . mill: a building to grind corn into flour; textile factory carriage: a vehicle drawn by horses; a railway car Social Causes: It is natural that in the course of the development of society a number of new words are needed to describe new ideas. futurology H