Semantic Changes – the Factors and Consequences of the Word Meaning Process

Abstract

This paper covers the linguistic and non-linguistic phenomena of semantic changes. This paper aims to deal with the main factors, the nature and the consequences which bring to this semantic change of the word meaning. Using all the time a comparative approach, we have tried to address to four main factors and consequences of this change: internal linguistic factors, historical factors or cultural changes, social factors, psychological factors which can help us to understand the actual meaning of a word, illustrating them with relevant examples from both English and Albanian language. In examining the nature and consequences of meaning shifts, we distinguish between denotative and non-denotative modifications. Denotative changes encompass semantic contraction, expansion, metaphor, and metonymy, operating through cognitive and conceptual associations. Non-denotative changes involve emotional shifts, specifically degradation and improvement of meaning, reflecting subjective attitudes. We conclude that word meaning shifts represent onomasiological and semasiological processes driven by internal and external linguistic factors, shaped by regular contrasting mechanisms of lexical development.