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The Causes Of Semantic Change In The English Language

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Introduction
Language is an intermediate used in communication; a methodology of communicating with another person(s) which can either be spoken or written and is consisted of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. Languages are not stagnant and are constantly changing, adapting as well as evolving. The impact on the history of English is prominent as it has impacted many levels of linguistics particularly syntax, morphemes, phonetics, and semantics. Consequently, it affects the way people speak. The term semantics is used to refer to the meaning of words. It is a branch of linguistics dealing with the meaning of words, phrases, and sentences. One of the most frequent changes that language deals with is semantic change.

Semantic Change

Semantic change refers to the modifications made to the meaning of words as well as its development. Words which have gone through semantic change no longer hold the same meaning and this occurs due to the constant usage of the words and the intention of the speakers differ each time. This shows that this simply means that words have a variety of connotations that could be altered, added, or removed over time.

Causes of Semantic Change
Changing the meaning of a word is a continual process which does not merely occur with sudden. Words normally develop new meanings, which are related to their previous meanings. There are a number of factors that contribute to semantic change which include linguistic, extra-linguistic and

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