Causes of development of new meaning

Most scholars distinguish between the terms _____________________________ (when a new meaning and the one on the basis of which it is formed coexist in the semantic structure of the word) and _____________________________ (when the old meaning is completely replaced by the new one).

Let us examine the causes that may lead to the development of new meanings.

The first group of causes is traditionally termed ___________ or ______________________. Different kinds of changes in a nation’s social life, in its culture, knowledge, technology, arts inquire appearing of new words in the vocabulary.

New meanings can also be developed due to linguistic factors (the second group of causes).

2. The nature of semantic change

It is necessary to discriminate between the causes, the nature and the results of semantic change. Discussing the causes of semantic change we attempt to find out why the word changed its meaning. The factors accounting for semantic changes are of two kinds: a) __________________________ and b) _________________ causes. By ________________________ causes are meant changes in the life of a speech community, various spheres of human activities as reflected in word meanings.

To ____________________ causes of semantic change refer changes of meaning due to factors acting within the language system. They are as follows:

a) ellipsis: in a phrase made up of two words one of these is omitted and its meaning is transferred to another, e.g. _________________________________________________

b) discrimination of synonyms: when a new word is borrowed or coined in the language, it sometimes influences meanings of its synonyms, e.g. the Old English word hlaf which had the meaning of modern bread changed its meaning under the influence of the word bread, and now the OE hlaf is loaf which means 'mass of bread cooked as a separate quantity';

c) linguistic analogy: it was found out, that if one of the members of a synonymic set acquires a new meaning, other members of this set change their meaning too, for instance, verbs synonymous with catch, e.g. grasp, get, etc. acquired another meaning - to understand.

Change of meaning presupposes using the existing name of a certain particular object for nominating another object. Such processes lately have got the name of secondary nomination. The processes of secondary nomination are also called ___________________________________.

Some scholars mistakenly use the term "transference of meaning" which is a serious mistake. It is very important to note that in any case of semantic change it is not the meaning but the word that is being transferred from one referent onto another. The result of such a transference is ___________________________________________________.

There are two main types of association involved in semantic change: similarity of meanings and contiguity of meanings.

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