Unit 3 Exercises B

Unit 3 Exercises B

1. Processes of Semantic Change

Identify the type of semantic shift that has occurred in each case. Choose either Metaphor or Metonymy.

a. barbecue 'a rack for cooking meat over a fire' > barbecue 'a social event at which food is cooked over a fire'

b. influence 'something which has flowed in' > influence 'something which affects someone without apparent effort'

c. mouth 'the body opening through which an animal takes food' > mouth 'a person' (eg. "three mouths to feed")

d. solve 'to loosen' > solve 'to clear up something puzzling'

e. counter 'a device for counting' > counter 'a surface on which various devices can be placed'

f. mouth 'the body opening through which an animal takes food' > mouth 'an opening into a cave or canyon'

g. white shirt 'a shirt that is white in color' > white shirt 'a manager'

2. Result of Semantic Change

For each example, tell whether the result of the semantic shift is Narrowing, Degeneration, Widening, or Amelioration.

a. OE wif 'a woman' > Modern English wife 'a married woman'

b. nuke 'to destroy with nuclear weapons' > nuke 'to destroy in any manner'

(eg. Buffy nuked her Porsche last night.)

c. ME marshall 'groom for horses (literally 'horse slave')' > Modern English marshall 'high ranking officer'

d.OE steorfan 'to die (of any cause)' > Modern English starve 'to die from hunger'

e. Middle English vilein 'feudal serf, farmer' > Modern English villain 'a wicked or evil person'

f. OE bouchier 'one who slaughters goats' > Modern English butcher 'one who slaughters animals'

g. Middle English girle 'child' > Modern English girl 'female child'

h. lyric 'poem to be sun with a lyre' > lyric 'any poem to be sung'

i. lewd 'of the laity (i.e. non-church)' > lewd 'indecent'

j. OE mete 'any food' > Modern English meat 'animal flesh'

3. Word Analysis

Parse, gloss and give a literal definition for the following words.

a. democracy

b. agnostic

c. euphemism

d. traditional

e. primogeniture