How Word Meanings Change Across Generations

Dr. Erica Brozovsky of the PBS series Otherwords explained how the meanings of common words shift over time and across generations.

This type of language evolution, where the meanings of words shift over time, sometimes even leaving their original meaning behind, is called semantic change. There are probably words in your vocabulary that future generations will use in completely different ways.

She also explored the fascinating linguistic mechanisms behind semantic change, including extension, reduction, elevation, pejoration, and intensification.

With all of these processes bumping up against each other every time we communicate, it's no wonder that language is always changing, first in small speech communities and then larger ones, until the change is so ubiquitous, we forget we didn't always use these words this way.

The Multigenerational Staying Power of the Word Cool'

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