Language Change Terms Overview Flashcards
Broadening
A type of semantic change by which the meaning if a word becomes broader and more inclusive organ its earlier meaning e.g. mouse, business, holiday, follow.
Narrowing
A type of semantic change by which the meaning if a word becomes less general or inclusive than its earlier meaning e.g. meat, deer, girl, hound, starve, sand.
Amelioration
A word that had negative connotations has developed to positive connotations e.g. wicked, dizzy, nice, pretty, lady.
Pejoration
A word that gad positive connotations now has developed to have negative connotations e.g. silly, impertinent, hierarchy, discreet, attitude.
Weakening (Bleaching)
The reduction of the force if meaning of the force of meaning of a word e.g. guy, eventually, really, very, true.
Metaphor
A figure of speech where you say something is something.
Idiom
A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deductible from those individual words. e.g. raining cats and dogs, over the moon, cold feet, under the weather.
Euphemism
When you say something in a nicer way.
Political Correctness
The avoidance of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalise, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against.
Colloquialism
When slang words become used at large.
Latinate
Derived from or imitative of Latin e.g. villa, agenda, atrocity, ambiguous, avarice (greed).
Compounding
Closed, Open, Hyphenated- when two words are placed together to create a new meaning.
Loan Words
When you take a word from another language e.g. lemon, ketchup, cookie, avatar, entrepreneur, fiancé.
Slang
A form of informal lexis used within sociolects. inclusive language within the same social group.
Meiosis
A euphemism figure of speech that intentionally understates something or implies that it is lesser in significance or size than it really is e.g. oh its just a scratch, the troubles in Ireland.
