Types of Semantic Change

1. Specialization of meaning ___________________________________________________________________________

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OE deor (wild beast) > ModE олень

OE mete (food) > ModE мясо

OE hund (dog) > ModE гончая

OE talcan (to show) > teach

OE writan (to scratch) > write

room (space) > 1) комната 2) место

ME girl (child of either sex) > female child

Placenames:

city – City (business part of London)

tower – Tower (of London) – museum

highland – Highlands (in Scotland)

Generalization of meaning ________________________________________________________________________

e.g. OE ridan (to ride) (готовый к езде)) – ready

OE “thing” - “собрание, обсуждающее юридические или деловые вопросы” > “вопрос, рассматриваю-щийся этим собранием” > “решение”> “предмет”> “вещь”.

OE person – “the mask used by an actor” >“one who plays a part in a play” > “a character in a play”

> “a character” > “a human being” > an individual.

to arrive (to land) > to come

bird (the young of a bird) > bird

girl (a child) > a young woman; lady (baronet’s wife) > woman

3.Metaphor_______________________ ___________________________________________________________________

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e.g. star (famous actor or actress), peach (beautiful girl), fox (cunning person), wall-flower (lady who does not dance at the ball); slangisms: saucers(eyes), nut, onion (head).

______________________________: foot (of a mountain), eye(of a needle), back (of a book), neck (of a bottle), head of cabbage, leg of a table

_____________________________: vandals – people who damage sth beautiful and useful.

Antonomasia ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Don Juan – a man who has seduced many women.

Babbit – a sell-content middle-class who does not care much about spiritual values.

Benedict Arnold – a betrayer (a general 1775).

Lolita – a young nimphette.

Cherokee Bill – a black cowboy.

Daniel Boone – a hunter, researcher.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – a man combining good and bad (Stivenson’s story).

Houdini – a magician.

4.Metonymy ________________________________________________________________________________ contiguity.

e.g. crown (Queen’s power), glass (vessel), hand (of a clock), farm hands, directors’ board

Personal Names:

sandwich (from Lord Sandwich)

diesel (from Rudolf Diezel)

ampere, ohm, volt, walt, etc.

Place Names:

The White House = administration of the USA and its politics (from the name of mansion of the US president)

The Pentagon = US military command (5-sided building)

Wall Street = the controlling financial interests of the USA (the name of the main Street in the financial district in New York)

10, the Downing Street = British government (Prime Minister’s Residence)

Fleet Street = British journalism (a street in London where many newspapers are located)

Geographical names:

china(фарфор, посуда), astrakhan (fur), morocco (leather), holland (linen), damask (steel)

Also: jeans (from Lat. Génes or Genoa), champagne, madeira, brie cheese etc.