Types of Language Changes
Semantic changes
Syntactic Changes
Types
Example
Definition
Refers to any change in the meaning of a word over the course of time
Not a change in meaning, but the addition of a meaning or the loss of a meaning while the form remains constant.
=Semantic shift, lexical change and semantic progression
Amelioration - The upgrading of a word's meaning, as when a word with a negative sense develops a positive one.
Pejoration - The downgrading of a word's meaning as when a word with a positive sense develops a negative one.
Broadening - The meaning of a word becomes broader or more inclusive than its earlier meaning.
Semantic Narrowing - The meaning of a word becomes less general or inclusive than its earlier meaning.
Bleaching - The loss/ reduction of meaning in a word as a result of semantic change
Metaphor - Involves extensions in the meaning of a word that suggest a semantic similarity or connection between the new sense and the original one.
Metonymy - One word or phrase is substituted for another with which it's closely associated. (E.g.-crown for royalty)
Definition - The proper order of words in a phrases, clauses or sentences
- A tool used in writing proper grammatical sentences.
-"syntax"- From the Greek meaning arrange together
Features - enables people to know
- How to start a question with a question word.
- Adjectives generally come before the nouns they describe.
- Compound sentences are joined by conjunctions.
- Subjects come before verbs in non-question sentences.
Semantic Narrowing- Hund(OE), Hound (ME)
Bleaching - Awfully, terribly
Broadening - Shit
Metaphor- to kill-terminate,take care off, elliminate, dispose of and others
Pejoration - Sely(OE), silly(ME)
Metonymy- crown for royalty
Amelioration - Dizzy
Old english- foolish, modern english- suffering from vertigo
OE- Happy, blissful, ME- Empty headed
OE- all types of dogs, ME- Dogs used to chase games in the hunt
OE-Feces, ME- Thing/ stuff
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