现代词汇学 Chapter 5.pptVIP

(3)?Elevation Task: The meanings of the following three words have experienced similar changes. What is the common feature? nice marshal constable Nice originally meant ignorant, then it is changed to mean foolish and now elevated to mean delightful, pleasant’. Marshal once meant a `keeper of horses, now its meanings has risen to a high-ranking army officer. Constable once meant `keeper of horses; it has a more pleasant meaning in modern English, i.e., policeman. More examples of elevation Word Old Meaning Elevated Meaning angel messenger of god knight rank below baronet earl count（伯爵） governor head of a state fond affectionate minister head of a ministry messenger servant man pilot foolish servant Characteristics of Elevation elevation=amelioration: change from negative to positive from derogatory to appreciative from neutral to appreciative from unimportant to important (4)? Degradation/Degeneration The meaning of a word narrows toward an unfavorable meaning is called degeneration or pejorative change. More examples of degradation Word Old Meaning Degraded Meaning silly foolish knave dishonest person lewd lecherous criticize find fault with lust sexual desire villain wicked person/ scoundrel cunning sly queen wife（？） happy boy ignorant appraise pleasure worker at a villa skillful homosexual Chapter 5 Change of Meaning Objectives of this chapter To understand the nature of semantic change; To learn the major modes of semantic change: extension, narrowing, elevation, degradation, transfer; To understand the causes of semantic change. Vocabulary 1. most unstable element of a language 2. undergoing constant changes both in form and content 3. comparatively, meaning even more unstable Quirk :‘...almost every word we use today has a slightly different meaning from the one it had a century ago, and a century ago it had a slightly different meaning from the one it had a century before that’. Shakespeare’s use If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus,