Semantic Shift Research Articles

Shared Vocabulary and Grammatical Influences Between Russian and Lithuanian

The linguistic relationship between Russian and Lithuanian is shaped by centuries of cultural and political interaction, resulting in a complex blend of shared vocabulary and subtle grammatical influences. This study analyzes key areas where Russian has left its mark on Lithuanian, particularly in governance, everyday life, and technology, while highlighting how Lithuanian has adapted these borrowings through phonetic and semantic shifts. Despite extensive contact, Lithuanian has retained its unique grammatical features, demonstrating significant resistance to external influences. The article also explores the sociopolitical factors that fueled language preservation efforts, particularly during the 20th century, and examines the broader cultural implications of this linguistic exchange. The findings underscore the significance of linguistic resilience and the ongoing efforts to maintain linguistic purity in the Baltic region, serving as a testament to the enduring power of cultural identity.

Honetic and Lexical Characteristics of German Loanwords in English: A Study on Linguistic Adaptation and Cultural Influence

This study explores the phonetic and lexical adaptations of German loanwords in English, emphasizing their role in enriching English vocabulary and fostering cultural exchange. By examining phonetic adjustments, such as changes in consonant and vowel sounds, and lexical transformations that include semantic shifts, the study highlights how loanwords adapt to align with English phonological and conceptual norms. This research underscores the significance of loanwords as agents of linguistic and cultural interconnectedness, showcasing how language evolves to reflect social and intellectual ties between English- and German-speaking communities.

Le mot carien pour ‘chef’, une nouvelle racine anatolienne et un changement phonétique carien-grec

Abstract In this paper, I analyse the Carian gloss σουαγγελα, attested in Stephen of Byzantium. I propose that possible cognates of γελα ‘king’, the second element of the gloss, may be identified in Hittite, Hieroglyphic Luwian, Lycian, and possibly cuneiform Luwian. This analysis incidentally provides viable etymologies for certain Armenian lexemes, which can now be considered as loanwords from Anatolian languages (specifically Luwian). The new Carian etymology enables the reconstruction of an Anatolian root meaning ‘head’ (vel sim.), accounting for most Anatolian lexical material through conservation or trivial semantic shifts. Additionally, it offers evidence for a sound change that likely occurred during borrowing of words from Carian into Greek. In the final section, I tentatively propose that the first element of the compound σουαγγελα also reflects an authentic Carian word. Through this contribution, I aim to demonstrate that even a seemingly uncertain item like a gloss can prompt a reevaluation of a set of words and uncover previously unnoticed etymological connections.

APPLYING DATA-DRIVEN LEARNING IN TEACHING LANGUAGE THEORY (WORD FORMATION, GERMAN LANGUAGE)

The article focuses on data-driven learning in teaching language theory and concerns some German word formation cases: convergence of root morphemes with affixes, semantic shifts of root morphemes and affixal word formation. The study is conducted on the basis of DWDS - Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, outlines linguodidactic potential of the chosen digital platform and proposes training algorithms that combine corpora deduction and guided inductive research based on the activity approach to teaching language theory in a corpora environment.

Identifying Semantic Shift Reasons of Domain Entities Using Diachronic Embedding

ABSTRACTIn academic literature, the semantic evolution of scientific terms reflects the development of domain knowledge. While there have been studies using diachronic word embeddings to reveal cultural and social shifts, research on the semantic evolution of scientific terms remains limited. This paper proposes a method utilizing diachronic semantic vectors to elucidate the semantic evolution of scientific entities. Firstly, diachronic semantic vectors of entities are trained using incremental learning to compute the semantic shift (ΔA) of a given entity A between periods t1 and t2. Secondly, entities similar to ΔA in periods t1 and t2 are defined as leading reasons and accompanying reasons, respectively. The experiment result shows that the leading reasons can capture the shifts of entities in the nascent stage, and the accompanying reasons can capture the shifts of words in the mature stage. The proposed method offers a better quantitative insight into the details and reasons behind domain knowledge evolution.

The Surprising Survival of Constitutionalism in the Caudillo Republic of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 1836–1845

Abstract The caudillo strongman remains emblematic of Latin American authoritarianism, but scholarship has seldom reflected on the semantic shifts that this concept suffered over time and its implications for the history of political thought. Numerous political experiments have been marginalized from historical and state-building narratives as the irrelevant work of caudillos, such as the short-lived Rio Grandense Republic in southern Brazil (1836–45). By explaining the Rio Grandense caudillos’ engagement with constitutionalism, this article argues that ‘caudillo’ can be a useful category of analysis if historically contextualized. The article thus reconsiders the history of political thought and state-building in Latin America and beyond in the age of revolutions, suggesting the serious need to scrutinize ‘failed’ states and revolutions. This argument is pursued in three steps. First, the article describes shifting understandings and usages of ‘caudillo’ in nineteenth-century Brazil and neighbouring River Plate states. Second, it analyses the Rio Grandense Republic’s 1842–3 constituent assembly and the novel electoral procedures it employed. Third, it examines the never-promulgated constitutional draft produced by its assemblymen. This constitutional draft is then compared to contemporary River Plate and Brazilian constitutions and its rejection is explained through the assemblymen’s divergent understandings of constitutionalism and democracy.

Semantic Shift and Phonological Features of Words Borrowed from Kurdish to Turkish

This study examines the semantic shift and phonological features of words borrowed from Kurdish into Turkish. It highlights the interactions between languages throughout history, which have led to shifts in the meanings of words. The research focuses on how certain Kurdish words that carried neutral or positive meanings have acquired negative or derogatory meanings in Turkish. The socio-cultural interactions and historical events that influenced this shift are analyzed, supported by examples of morphological, phonetic, and semantic changes. For instance, the Kurdish word "avare," which originally means homeless, is used in Turkish to mean jobless. The study aims to provide a systematic analysis of the semantic shifts of these words within the framework of etymology and linguistic interaction, contributing to a deeper understanding of the interactions between the two languages. The findings shed light on the social and cultural dimensions of language, offering insights into the evolution of language. In conclusion, the negative semantic shift of Kurdish words in Turkish reflects the dynamic nature of language and the influence of social perceptions.

VERBAL LEXEMES IN THE DERIVATIONAL CLUSTER WITH THE INITIAL WORD SALT IN THE NATIONAL RUSSIAN LANGUAGE

The article deals with semantic characteristics of verbal lexemes that are a part of the derivational cluster – a structural component of lexical and phraseological complex with the initial word salt. The paper analyses the role of the initial word in forming the complex, reveals the causes of semantic and amount differences of particular word clusters that are formed by different lexical and semantic variants of the polysemantic word salt. The article reveals the factors that influence the development of lexical item creative potential: extra linguistic, language system and intra-word ones. The article demonstrates the causes of the disproportion of analysed particular word clusters – factors that have positive and negative impact on word-formation activity of lexical and semantic variants of the word salt. Lexical items of different derivational stages ascending to two lexical and semantic variants of the initial word and items with erased inner form, that are on the periphery of the general word cluster, are analysed. The author develops a hypothesis about semantic connection of these items and lexical and semantic variants of the word salt. The possible reasons of metaphoric meanings appearing are shown. The article gives analysis of semantic shifts revealed in some derived words. The author comes to the conclusion about topicality of the denoted object for the native speakers and peculiarities of development and meaning extension of the word salt in verbal lexemes.

Studying word meaning evolution through incremental semantic shift detection

AbstractThe study of semantic shift, that is, of how words change meaning as a consequence of social practices, events and political circumstances, is relevant in Natural Language Processing, Linguistics, and Social Sciences. The increasing availability of large diachronic corpora and advance in computational semantics have accelerated the development of computational approaches to detecting such shift. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach to tracing the evolution of word meaning over time. Our analysis focuses on gradual changes in word semantics and relies on an incremental approach to semantic shift detection (SSD) called What is Done is Done (WiDiD). WiDiD leverages scalable and evolutionary clustering of contextualised word embeddings to detect semantic shift and capture temporal transactions in word meanings. Existing approaches to SSD: (a) significantly simplify the semantic shift problem to cover change between two (or a few) time points, and (b) consider the existing corpora as static. We instead treat SSD as an organic process in which word meanings evolve across tens or even hundreds of time periods as the corpus is progressively made available. This results in an extremely demanding task that entails a multitude of intricate decisions. We demonstrate the applicability of this incremental approach on a diachronic corpus of Italian parliamentary speeches spanning eighteen distinct time periods. We also evaluate its performance on seven popular labelled benchmarks for SSD across multiple languages. Empirical results show that our results are comparable to state-of-the-art approaches, while outperforming the state-of-the-art for certain languages.

ЕТИМОЛОГИЯ И СЕМАНТИЧНА ТИПОЛОГИЯ: РЕГУЛЯРНОСТ НА СЕМАНТИЧНИЯ РАЗВОЙ ПРИ БЪЛГАРСКА ГЛАГОЛНА ЛЕКСИКА

The study is focused on the semantic aspect of etymological analysis. It is mainly oriented towards the etymological lexicographic practice in the “Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary” (BER) and focuses on revealing the typology of semantic changes within an etymological nest. A systematic approach is applied to the analysis of derivational processes within the Proto-Slavic ablaut sequence *per-/ *pьr-/ *pаr- and the regularity of the semantic shifts under study is demonstrated, and an attempt is also made to establish semantic features the basis of which the development takes place. The study is monolinguistic, based on Bulgarian linguistic material extracted from the BER, and is diachronically oriented, but in a number of cases a synchronic approach of analysis is also applied in order to bring out some typological features which can also be detected at the diachronic level. The establishment of semantic regularities and the demonstration of regularity in semantic development is a necessary support for the etymologization of a large volume and diverse lexical material. The results of the study can be the basis for various research works in the field of semantics, both in synchronic and diachronic terms.

Semantic shifts of 'coming out' and 'come out of the closet'

Juxtaposing lexicographic data with authentic corpora-excerpted contexts, this article investigates the semantic variance of coming out and come out of the closet in English and Polish. It discovers the linguistic sources of the LGBTQ+-related sense of coming out in English and focuses on the semantic shift from its sociolectal LGBTQ+-related usage towards nonsociolectal pragmatically marked uses, which result in extended collocability (e.g. Eng. coming out as an atheist; Pol. ateistyczny coming-out). The study contrasts English and Polish corpus data to see whether the nonsociolectal usage of Polish coming out can be argued to be contact-induced – that is, modelled on English. Language contact research shows that contact-induced innovations undergo semantic change through conscious and creative exploitation by recipient language speakers to realise their pragmatic needs. The cognitive-onomasiological theoretical framework, coupled with a usage-based methodology, allows investigation of how native and contact-induced phenomena are used by native and recipient language speakers.

Асоціативні образи медіа і журналіста в мовній картині світу майбутніх педагогів

Media is an important component of the information society. The need to protect the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine after the full-scale invasion of the aggressor state, countering the hybrid war increased the importance of mass media. The object of our research is the associative image of the key concepts of the media industry - media and journalist, in particular, semantic shifts in these words, new connotative layering in the collective consciousness of Ukrainians. The purpose of the article is to analyze the associative images of the media and the journalist in the language picture of the world of higher education graduates of pedagogical specialties; on the material of a free associative experiment, associative fields of stimulus words were constructed, the most frequent, repeated and single associates were singled out and characterized. A free associative experiment was chosen as the main research method to collect reactions to stimulus words; descriptive and structural methods were used to analyze the associative field of the words media and journalist; statistical – for processing the obtained results, establishing the quantitative characteristics of the elements of associative fields. Results. The most frequent associations recorded because of the experiment are only partially correlated with the lexicographic characteristics of the stimulus words. Repeated reactions of future teachers represent semantic shifts in relevant concepts and connotational layering, which are relevant in the language consciousness of students of higher education. The associative fields of lexemes consist mainly of single reactions, a small number of which reflect the realities of martial law and well-known media figures. Such results of the associative experiment indicate the need to adjust and deepen the work with future teachers regarding the understanding of the information space, structure and content of the media. Originality. The relevance of our research is determined by the fact that the concepts of media and journalist are socially significant; they belong to the active composition of the lexical system, actualized in language practice by complex transformational processes in society. Among 262 reactions to the media stimulus word, 122 different associates were established. Modern lexicographic sources and industry reference publications equate the concepts of media, mass media. The associative image of the media in the language consciousness of future teachers primarily relates to information and channels and methods of its transmission, a significant part of the participants of the experiment expanded the concept. The associative field consists mainly of single reactions (79.5%). As a result of the free associative experiment, 286 word-reactions to the stimulus word journalist were obtained, of which 167 different associates, the most frequent reaction is news, single reactions make up 85.6% of the associative field. Repeated associates represent the image of a journalist in the language consciousness of future teachers, highlighting the conditions of professional activity and its results. The researched associative fields represent social stereotypes in the assessment of the media and the journalist.

God in Tibetan: On the Use of an Impersonal Concept as a Translation for “God”

The word for God used in many Bible translations in Tibetan-related languages is dkon mchog, a Tibetan Buddhist concept originally designating the so-called “Buddhist Trinity”: Buddha, dharma (the teachings), and sangha (the community of disciples). The expression was first used by Jesuit missionaries in the eighteenth century, and a review of their argumentation shows that its use is due to more than simply its superficial resemblance to the Christian Trinity. Expressions used in translation for unknown concepts undergo over time a semantic shift, by which the concept is reinterpreted and filled with new content corresponding to the biblical understanding. This shift can take place via metonymic or metaphoric extension, and the change is relatively unconstrained. The metonymic shift required in order for the concept dkon mchog to convey the biblical meaning is not likely to result in polysemy and may therefore give less cause for misunderstanding than the polysemous expressions (God/god) used in most other Bible translations.

The Suffix -ster in Present-day English: A Usage-based and Network Model Account

In this paper, we provide an analysis of the present-day distribution of the -ster suffix in English and account for that distribution through the diachronic forces that shaped it. Taking a constructional approach (Bybee 2010), we show that words with the -ster suffix in Middle English constituted a semantically coherent set in so far as the items in that set mostly referred to professions. In the latter part of the first half of the Modern English period, we find a renaissance of -ster usage, albeit with a semantic shift toward the identification of a human agent (usually male) involved in activities that were subversive, illicit or even criminal, e.g. gangster. We sketch out a model in which certain of the constructions stand as central members, or exemplars, which then serve as analogical bases to which other constructions with -ster are extended. We argue that the cumulative effect of the central exemplars of this set strengthens the representation of -ster as formally independent and imbues it with the emergent meaning of subversion, illicitness, or criminality. The result of these diachronic process is a very healthy productivity of -ster in later modern English and a distribution across several domains.

The Gezer Inscription ʿṣd pšt ‘Bundling Flax’: Revising the Arabic Cognate Etymology

Abstract This article is dedicated to one of the main lexical cruxes of the Gezer tablet, the expression ʿṣd pšt in the third line of the inscription. I follow the longstanding understanding of the Gezer inscription, according to which pšt refers to flax. The primary innovation of the article lies in the re-evaluation of the cognate Arabic etymology. I argue that the cognate Arabic ʿḍd in both Classical and Modern Arabic does not signify ‘cutting’, as has been suggested in research thus far. Rather, it means ‘upper arm’. I then examine the Mishnaic Hebrew phrase פשתן חוצני ḥoṣne pištan ‘flax bundles’ (m. Pe’ah 6:5) which exhibits a semantic shift: ḥōṣɛn ‘bosom’ > ‘amount carried under bosom’ > ‘bundle’. Based on the revised Arabic ʿḍd ‘upper arm’ meaning, I propose a semantic parallel: the Gezer inscription’s verbal noun ʿṣd (< Proto- Semitic ‘upper arm’) has possibly experienced a semantic shift similar to that of חוצני פשתן ḥoṣne pištan ‘flax bundles’ in m. Pe’ah 6:5: ‘upper arm’ > ‘armful of produce’ > ‘bundle’. Accordingly, I suggest ʿṣd pšt means ‘bundling flax’. This suggestion offers a straightforward solution which clarifies etymological data from various Semitic languages, fits within the context of the Gezer inscription and finally resolves the agricultural ‘cutting’ flax difficulty.

Translation and Semantic Shift of Islamic Vocabulary in English Abstracts: A Corpus-Based Study at an Indonesian Islamic University

Incorporating Nation’s vocabulary classification, this study investigates the translation and semantic shifts of Islam-related vocabulary in the abstracts of undergraduate and postgraduate theses. A corpus of 810 English and Bahasa Indonesia abstracts, sampled from a total of 1,928, was analyzed using Antwordprofiler and Antconc software. Findings indicate that translation strategies employed include phonetic alteration, pure borrowing, and one-to-one translation. Specifically, loanwords of Arabic origin were predominantly translated using pure borrowing, with some phonetic and/or orthographic modification in both Bahasa Indonesia and English. The translated vocabulary primarily consisted of Arabic-origin words with Bahasa Indonesia orthographic adaptations rather than their original Arabic forms. Additionally, semantic shifts were observed in the adoption of Islam-related Arabic vocabulary into Bahasa Indonesia. This is attributed to 1) the introduction of Quranic meanings, often differing from the common understanding of Arabic words at the time of the Quran’s revelation, and 2) modifications to accommodate the traditions of Indonesian local Muslim communities. The implications of this study highlight the need for translators to be aware of the cultural and religious contexts that influence semantic shifts. Moreover, this research underscores the importance of understanding the dynamic nature of language in the context of religious texts, which can lead to more accurate and culturally sensitive translations.

Латынь и церковнославянский как языки «ученого духовенства»: к истории духовного образования в XVIII веке

In the XVIII century, the clergy went through the most important processes related to the formation of the estate; the creation of a system of spiritual education plays an important role in this process. We will look at how the idea of literacy and scholarship as mandatory components of self-image was formed among the clergy, and how the languages included in these ideas have changed over the century. Having analyzed "literacy" and "scholarship" as elements of state regulation of the number of clergy, we will consider the concepts of literacy focused on the Church Slavonic language and literature, and their transformation after the spread of regular seminary "Latin" education. The material of archival documents allows you to see the assessment of the literacy of children of the clergy at admission to the seminary, as well as to understand exactly what skills were included in this assessment. Next, we reconstruct the semantic shift that has been taking place in the attitude of the clergy to seminary education over the course of a century: what kind of learning outcomes did the parents of seminarians expect when sending their children to educational institutions, and how these formulations have changed over the century. The system of spiritual education turns out to be built in such a way as to have priority over home schooling, and Latin is in the focus of attention as the main "filter" that allows separating the "learned" clergy from the "unlearned", i.e. "illiterate. But with the spread of seminary education, the status of "scholarship" begins to be associated no longer with the Latin language, but with less common languages: European (French and German) and "theological" (Greek and Hebrew).

Toward a Representation of Semantic Change in Linked Data

In this article, we introduce a new framework, the Intensional–Ontological Model (IOM), for representing meaning, and especially for representing semantic change, in linguistic linked data resources. This framework, which makes use of previous work in the literature on lexical semantics and ontologies, is intended to help clarify what we mean when we model semantic change and to assist in elaborating different ontology patterns for doing so. In this work, we assume a simple architecture, one which is at the basis of the well-known OntoLex-Lemon vocabulary and which consists of one or more lexicons linked to an ontology. Our model, which is based on this architecture and informed by previous work on word senses and ontologies, is intended to provide a clear interpretation for the modelling of both onomasiological and semiasological changes, in both static and dynamic versions. This article describes how the IOM framework represents word meaning as the relationship between a word and an ontological concepts in the ’static’ case, demonstrating that the IOM is compatible with OntoLex-Lemon (while at the same time providing a greater level of detail as to the meaning of the ’sense’ and ’reference’ relationships). It then goes on to detail how the IOM can help us understand how to model semantic shifts in linked data lexical resources with a focus on conceptual change and the addition of temporal information to semantic shift data.

Analyzing semantic shifts in English and German by exploring historical influences and societal dynamics

This research examines the mechanisms of semantic change in English and German, focusing on comparing and contrasting these processes across the two languages and investigating the influence of major historical events and societal shifts. By utilizing digital text corpora, libraries, archives, and modern digital media, the study conducts qualitative analyses, including case studies and discourse analysis, to explore semantic evolution. Thematic analysis was employed to thoroughly examine and interpret the data, allowing for the identification of recurring patterns, themes, and significant insights. The results showed that both English and German undergo significant semantic shifts driven by a metaphorical extension (i.e., narrowing or broadening of meanings, pejoration and amelioration, frequency and pathway of change, cultural and historical influences) and historical events and societal shifts that influence semantic change (i.e., wars and conflicts, industrialization, technological advancement, globalization, and cultural exchange, societal movements, and ideological shifts). The role of metaphorical extension is seen in adapting language to technological advancements while highlighting linguistic evolution through narrowing and broadening meanings influenced by cultural, historical, and linguistic factors. Additionally, pejoration and amelioration reflect societal changes and attitudes. Historical events and societal shifts, such as wars, industrialization, technological advancements, globalization, and social movements, significantly impact semantic changes in both English and German. These external influences catalyze language use and meaning shifts, illustrating the interaction between language and human experience.

Jugendsprache: bahasa remaja Jerman pada akun Instagram Funk

German youth language or Jugendsprache is a language style used by German teenagers and young adults in their daily communication. This language style is adopted by a German content network named Funk in its Instagram account posts to gain attention from its audience, which specifically targets people aged between 14 to 29 years old. The purpose of this research is to investigate the forms of Jugendsprache used by Funk in their Instagram posts. The design of this research is descriptive qualitative. The data corpus in total of 288 sentences was acquired from Funk’s Instagram account. The results unveiled that there were 177 lexicons, 55 word formations and 28 semantic shifts found from the data. Anglicism, in total of 112 data, is the most dominant lexicon phenomenon compared to the others. Another significant process are 29 composition data in word formation and 23 extensions of meaning data in semantic shift. From this research, it was found that English is widely used in Funk’s contents, either in the form of words, phrases, sentences in full English or English words adopted into the German morphological system. Funk utilizes English to make their contents interesting for its’ target audience, the young people.