Nerlich, Brigitte

English

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 191ZESZYTY NAUKOWE WYśSZEJ SZKOŁY PEDAGOGICZNEJ W RZESZOWIE  SERIA FILOLOGICZNA ZESZYT 42/2001   STUDIA ANGLICA RESOVIENSIA 2 Brigitte NERLICH 1 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF HISTORICAL SEMANTICS: THE CASE OF MIDDLE ENGLISH AND EARLY MODERN ENGLISH SYNONYMS OF GIRL/YOUNG WOMAN by Grzegorz A. KLEPARSKI, The University Press of the Catholic University of Lublin, 1997, pp. 277. ISBN 83-228-0598-5 There has recently been a revival of interest in historical semantics after it went 'out of fashion' in the 1960s. Historical semantics had its Golden Period between  1880,  when  Hermann  Paul  published  his  work  Prinzipien  der Sprachgeschichte,  and  1942,  when  Stephen  Ullmann  published  his  article  on ‘The  range  and  mechanism  of  changes  of  meaning’  (cf.  Warren  (1992:1)). Between 1950 and 1960 there was a general decline in interest in this topic brought about by Leonard Bloomfield's "semophobia" (Kleparski (1986:10)) on the one hand, and Noam  Chomsky's relegation of semantics to the linguistic underground  on  the  other.  During  the  1970s  and  1980s  one  could  still  find sporadic  attempts  at  defining  semantic  change,  but  they  went  generally unnoticed.  However,  over  the  last  twenty  years  a  gradual  re-admission  of diachronic semantics into the linguistic main-stream has been noticeable, and over  the  last  few  years  there  have  even  been  attempts  at  linking  modern diachronic semantics to the work done during the Golden Period on the one hand and  to  modern  cognitive  linguistics  on  the  other.  Here  the  works  of    Dirk Geeraerts, Gerd Fritz and now Grzegorz A. Kleparski are of special importance (see also Nerlich 1992). All three excel at founding their semantic theories on the exhaustive and meticulous study of well-chosen examples of semantic change, in the case of Kleparski (1997) on the Middle English and Early Modern English synonyms of girl/young woman. Reading this thought-provoking book I became very much intrigued by the relation between lexical categories and conceptual categories (which are explored with the examples of the synonyms for girl/young woman) – a distinction all too often forgotten by mainstream cognitive linguists.  1 Dr Brigitte Nerlich, Research Fellow, School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK, e-mail: bn@psychology.nottingham.ac.uk.  192How are they linked and which one comes first? Kleparski's (1997) observations in this matter lead me to hypothesise that lexical and conceptual categories are linked via metaphorical and metonymical processes which are, in a way, the tools that allow us to explore conceptual space with the linguistic material we have  at  hand.  Metonymy  allows  us  to  shorten  distances  between  adjoining conceptual  spaces,  metaphor  allows  us  to  build  bridges  between  distant conceptual spaces. But do they actually build up conceptual spaces in the first place, or are at least some conceptual spaces (such as the conceptual space of the human  body,  the  conceptual  space  established  by  [Gestalt]  perception)  pre-given? And what is the role of polysemy and synonymy in all this? Again there is a link between them and metaphor and metonymy, polysemy being the result of multiple metaphorical and/or metonymical uses, synonymy limiting this growth to a certain extent. And finally, what is the role of social and cultural influences in all this, as, for example, some synonyms such as pucelle or boor can only emerge  after  certain  cultural  and  social  events,  wars  and  revolutions  have happened. All these are questions which broaden the theoretical and conceptual horizon of historical and cognitive semantics and which are at least asked in this book and not just swept under the carpet. This book should therefore be read by those interested in the theory of historical and cognitive semantics as well as by those interested in how to study cases of semantic change with the methods provided by traditional historical semantics and by modern cognitive semantics and prototype theory. It should also be of interest to those studying polysemy and synonymy on the one hand and metaphor and metonymy on the other. References  Fritz, Gerd (1998). Historische Semantik. Stuttgart; Weimar: Metzler.  Geeraerts,  Dirk  (1997).  Diachronic  Prototype  Semantics.  A  Contribution  to  Historical Lexicology. Oxford: Blackwell.  Kleparski, Grzegorz A. (1986). Semantic Change and Componential Analysis: An Inquiry into Pejorative Developments in English. Regensburg: Friedrich Pustet Verlag. Kleparski, Grzegorz A. (1997). Theory and Practice of Historical Semantics: The Case of Middle English  and  Early  Modern  English  Synonyms  of  GIRL/YOUNG  WOMAN.  Lublin:  The Publishing House of the Catholic University of Lublin. Nerlich,  Brigitte  (1992).  Semantic  Theories  in  Europe  1830–1930.  From  Etymology  to Contextuality. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: Benjamins.  Paul, Hermann (1880). Prinzipien der Sprachgeschichte. Halle a.d.S.: Niemeyer. (2nd rev. ed., 1886; 3rd rev. ed., 1898; 4th rev. ed., 1909; 5th ed., 1920.).  Ullmann, Stephen (1942). ‘The range and mechanism of changes of meaning’ [in:] The Journal of English and German Philology, 61, pp. 46–52.  Warren, Beatrice (1992). Sense Developments. A Contrastive Study of the Development of Slang Senses and Novel Standard Senses in English. Stockholm: Amqvist & Wiksell International.    

(1880). Prinzipien der Sprachgeschichte. Halle a.d.S.: Niemeyer. (2nd rev. ed., 1886; 3rd rev. ed., 1898; 4th rev. ed., 1909; 5 th ed.,

Historische Semantik.

Semantic Change and Componential Analysis: An Inquiry into Pejorative Developments in English.

Semantic Theories in Europe 1830–1930. From Etymology to Contextuality.

Sense Developments. A Contrastive Study of the Development of Slang Senses and Novel Standard Senses in English.

Theory and Practice of Historical Semantics: The Case of Middle English and Early Modern English Synonyms of GIRL/YOUNG WOMAN. Lublin: The Publishing House of the Catholic

Grzegorz A. Kleparski: Theory and practice of historical semantics : the case of Middle English and Early Modern English synonyms of girl/young woman, Lublin, The Univ. Press of the Cath. Univ. of Lublin, 1997, pp. 277, ISBN 83-228-0598-5.

Grzegorz A. Kleparski: Theory and practice of historical semantics : the case of Middle English and Early Modern English synonyms of girl/young woman, Lublin, The Univ. Press of the Cath. Univ. of Lublin, 1997, pp. 277, ISBN 83-228-0598-5.

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