Word Meaning Changes over Time: Part Two – Specialization

 

 

by Dr. Karen Wieland and James Currie

In this post, we would like to pick up where we left off talking about word-meaning changes. In a previous post, we began this series explaining Generalization, where the meaning of a word changes from a historically narrower meaning to a broader meaning: think “Kleenex” – once (and still, technically) a brand name for a specific type of facial tissue, to the generic word meaning any facial tissue, regardless of brand.

Specialization

Word-meaning can also change in the opposite direction, from broader, more all-encompassing meaning to narrower, more specific meanings. This process is called Specialization and can be a slow process, taking decades or even centuries for the meaning to narrow.

A common way that specialization happens is when the original word had more than one, albeit related, meanings, one broad, one narrow. Over time, a new word assumed the broader meaning. The original word then continues on with the narrower meaning. 

An Example: Deer

The English word “deer” is a great example of specialization. Our word “deer” started as Old English “deor” which meant ‘any wild animal, beast, any wild quadriped’ [quadru (four) + ped (foot)].

This word is an old – prehistoric old – word: in the European modern Germanic languages – English’s cousins – the words for ‘animal’ are still direct cognates of ‘deor’ – In German “Tier”, in Dutch “dier”, and in Danish “dyr”.

But in England, by the end of the Old English period, the word “deor” had already started to shift. The most likely cause was hunting, as deer (modern meaning) were the favorite animals to hunt both for food and for sport. By the 15th century, the specialized meaning had been established.

Other Examples of Specialization

Litter

Once upon a time, around 1300 CE, “Litter” came to English from Latin (“lectus”, bed, lounge, sofa) via Old and Anglo French (“litere”, a portable bed) and meant “a bed-like vehicle carried on men’s shoulders.” That’s a pretty narrow meaning.

But by the early 15th century, the meaning had expanded to mean “straw used for bedding”, because back then, that’s what people…and animals…slept on. By the 1800s, the meaning had shifted to focus on animal bedding, which was tossed down and spread around the floor of the barn or stall.

As early as 1730, ‘Litter” added the meaning of “scattered oddments, disorderly debris”, stuff that had been abandoned and tossed aside to the ground. And now when we hear the word “litter”, we think about papers and garbage tossed away, peppering city sidewalks and roadsides everywhere.

Hound

Like “deer”, “hound” is derived from a very, very old root.

In Old English, the general word for “dog” was “hund”. And like “deer”, the general word meaning “dog” in our European modern cousins is either “hund” or “hond”.

But as early as the 12th century, the meaning had narrowed to “dog used for hunting”. (We cannot deny that the early inhabitants of Great Britain loved their hunting!). And that meaning, though not the pronunciation and spelling, has remained.

Oddly enough, the modern word “dog” was established by the 1500s, though no one is exactly sure where it came from.

Fowl

Our modern word “fowl” started as Old English “vugel.” (“Vogel” or “fugl” in the modern Germanic languages.) “Fugel” was broadly defined as any “bird, feathered vertebrate”. The word “bird” also was in use, but meant “the young of a bird, a chick, a nestling”.

But by the 15th century, “bird” had become the general word for any “feathered vertebrate” and “vugel” had narrowed in meaning to refer to barnyard birds, e.g. chickens, ducks, geese. We can still see the original, non-specialized meaning of “fowl” in “waterfowl”.

Meat

The original meaning of meat was very broad.

In Old English, “mēte” meant any kind of food or any item of food. It also meant ‘a meal’. But by 1300 CE, the specialized meaning of “animal flesh used as food” had been established.

Historically, there were two Old English words meaning “food, nourishment”; “mēte” and “foda”. Here we can see where one of two words survived as the general word, while the other specialized in meaning.

Next Time

Our next post will focus on another category of word-meaning change: amelioration! We look forward to sharing some great examples that Dr. Wieland and her students  found to illustrate that form of meaning change.

 

REFERENCES

Nordquist, Richard (2019, October 3). Semantic Narrowing (Specialization) (Glossary of Grammatical and Rhetorical Terms – Definition and Examples.) New York: Thought Co. Retrieved on December 11, 2023, from https://www.thoughtco.com/semantic-narrowing-specialization-1689083

Harper, Douglas (2021). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved on December 12, 2023, from https://etymonline.com