资源描述：
《英语词汇学课件chapter 7 Changes in Word Meaning.ppt》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在教育资源-天天文库。
1、Chapter7ChangesinWordMeaningThevocabularyisthemostunstableelementofalanguageasitisundergoingconstantchangesbothinthesign-shapesandsigncontents.Comparatively,thelatterisevenmoreunstablethantheformer.Changinginwordmeaninghasneverceasedsincethebeginningofl
2、anguageandwillcontinueinthefuture.Yetnoonehasbeenabletosystemizethewaysinwhichchangesoccur.Empiricalstudieshaveidentifiedafewpatternsthatchangesfollow.Thischapterwilldiscussinsomedetailthemajorpatterns,themechanismunderlyingthesepatternsandthecausesofch
3、ange.7.1TypesofMeaningChangeThetransformationsofword-meaningfollowanumberofpatterns,themajoronesofwhichare:extension,narrowing,elevation,degradation,transference,andeuphemism.Ofthesemajortendencies,extensionandnarrowingarebyfarthemostcommon.7.1.1Extensi
4、onofmeaningExtensionofmeaning,alsoknownasgeneralization,isthenamegiventothewideningofmeaningwhichsomewordsundergo.Itisaprocessbywhichawordwhichoriginallyhadaspecializedmeaninghasnowbecomegeneralizedorhasextendedtocoverabroaderandoftenlessdefiniteconcept
5、.e.g.manuscript,fabulous,barn,thing,feedback,Sandwich.7.1.2NarrowingofMeaningNarrowingofmeaning,alsocalledspecialization,istheoppositeofwideningmeaning.Itisaprocessbywhichawordofwidemeaningacquiresanarrowerorspecializedsense.Inotherwords,awordwhichusedt
6、ohaveamoregeneralsensebecomesrestrictedinitsapplicationandconveysaspecialconceptinpresent-dayEnglish.e.g.deer,corn,garage.7.1.3ElevationofmeaningElevationorameliorationreferstotheprocessbywhichwordsrisefromhumblebeginningstopositionsofimportance.e.g.nic
7、e.7.1.4DegradationofMeaningDegradationorpejorationofmeaningistheoppositeofsemanticelevation.Itisaprocesswherebywordsofgoodoriginoraffectiveneutralityfallintoillreputationorcometobeusedinaderogatorysense.e.g.boor.7.1.5TransferenceofMeaningSomewordswhichw
8、ereusedtodesignateonethingbutlaterchangedtomeansomethingelsehaveexperiencedtheprocessofsemantictransfer,knownastransferenceortransferofmeaning.E.g.paper.1)AssociatedTransferItiswhatiscommonlyknownasfigurativeextensionofmeaning.2)
