Elevation and degradation of meaning of a word

Elevation (or melioration) is the semantic change in the word which rises it from humble beginning to a position of greater importance, e.g. minister in earlier times meant merely “a servant”.

Degradation (or degeneration) is the semantic change, by which, for one reason or another, a word falls into disrepute, or acquires some derogatory emotive charge, e.g. silly originally meant “happy”.

These terms are open to question because they seem to imply that meanings can become “better” or “worse” which is neither logical nor plausible. But, as a matter-of-fact, scholars using these terms do not actually mean the degeneration or elevation of meaning itself, but of the referent onto which a word is transferred, so that the term is inaccurate:

Knave: boy → swindler, scoundrel

Villain: farm-servant, serf → base, vile person

Gossip: god parent → the one who talks scandal; tells slanderous stories about other people

These examples show that the second meaning, in contrast with the one from which it developed, denotes a person of bad repute or character. Semantically speaking, the second meaning developed a negative evaluative connotation which was absent in the first meaning. Such a readjustment in the connotative structure accompanying the process of transference can be sometimes observed in other parts of speech, and not only in nouns:

Silly: happy → foolish

In the following examples the situation is reversed: the first meaning has a negative evaluative connotation, and the second meaning has not. It is difficult to see what is actually “elevated” here. Certainly, not the meaning of the word:

Fond: foolish → loving, affectionate

Nice: foolish → fine, good

Tory: brigand, highwayman → member of the Tories

Knight: manservant → noble, courageous man

UA контора → офіс

управління → менеджмент

посильний →кур'єр

In the case of Tory, the first meaning has a pronounced negative connotation which is absent in the second meaning. Semantically speaking, the first meaning is just as good as the second, and the difference lies only in the connotative structure.

The case of knight, if treated linguistically, is quite opposite to that of Tory: the second meaning acquired a positive evaluative connotation that was absent in the first meaning. So, here, once more, we are faced with a mere readjustment of the connotative components of the word.

There are also some traditional examples of “elevation” in which even this readjustment cannot be traced:

Marshal: manservant attending horses → the highest rank in the army

Lord: master of the house, head of the family → baronet (aristocratic title)

Lady: mistress of the house, married woman → wife or daughter of baronet

In these three words the second meaning developed due to the process of transference based on contiguity. Lord and lady are also examples of narrowing of meaning if we compare the range of the original and of the resultant meanings. No connotations of evaluation can be observed in either of the meanings.

Thus, the change in the denotational component brings about the extension or the restriction of meaning. The change in the connotational component may result in the degradation − pejorative or ameliorative development of meaning.

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