Language Evolution: Semantics and Dialectal Traits

Semantic Language Evolution Explained

Semantic changes occur when words are no longer used because they are no longer useful, leading to the appearance of new ones that enrich the vocabulary according to the needs of the moment.

Drivers of Semantic Change

• Foreign Influence: Incorporating loanwords, both justified and unjustified, from other languages.
• Need for New Names (Neologisms): New realities necessitate the creation of new terms.
• Linguistic Causes: These can be phonetic, leading to a divergent phonetic evolution of a word, or motivated by morphosyntactic characteristics.
• Social Causes: A word may become a specialized term, or sometimes the opposite occurs, where a specialized term becomes generalized.
• Psychological Causes: Some changes originate in the mentality, attitudes, and education of speakers.

Taboo Expressions and Euphemisms

Understanding Taboo Words

These are words avoided by speakers because they describe unpleasant realities or possess a sacred or forbidden character.

The Role of Euphemisms

Euphemism is the use of milder, indirect, or more decorous words to replace those considered harsh, blunt, offensive, or to discuss sensitive topics.

Mechanisms Driving Semantic Shifts

• Metaphor: Transfer of meaning based on a perceived similarity between the meanings of two words or concepts.
• Metonymy: A change of meaning based on contiguity or close association between concepts (e.g., part for whole, cause for effect).
• Folk Etymology (Popular Etymology): Assigning a word an incorrect origin due to a perceived, but false, resemblance to other words.
• Ellipsis: Transfer of meaning by the omission of a word or words in a common phrase, where the remaining part takes on the meaning of the whole context.

Outcomes of Semantic Transformation

• Extension of Meaning (Generalization): Occurs when a word with a specific meaning comes to be used in a more general sense.
• Restriction of Meaning (Specialization): Occurs when a word with a broad meaning comes to be used in a more specific sense.
• Pejoration (Degradation): A word develops a negative or less favorable connotation. For example, the word 'imbecile' originally meant 'weak'.
• Amelioration (Elevation): A word develops a more positive or favorable connotation. For example, a term associated with 'companion' (like 'count') could evolve to imply higher status, as reflected in terms like 'peerage'.

Dialectal Features in Regional Language

Comparative Dialectal Blocks

Western Block Features

• Lexical examples: camions, cans, irman
• Implosive Seseo (e.g., in words like ves, cru)
• Gheada (pronunciation of /g/ as a voiceless fricative)
• Umlaut
• Verb forms: colleches, vendeches, foste
• Pronoun: ti

Central Block Features

• Lexical examples: camiós, cas, irma
• Absence of Seseo
• Diphthong /oi/ (e.g., specific pronunciation in words like cuatro, cuando, cual)
• Verb forms: colliches, vendiches
• Lexical item: bird (or local equivalent)
• Verb form: foche
• Pronouns: ti/tu

Eastern Block Features

• Lexical examples: camiois, cais, irma
• Presence of Seseo
• Verb forms: colliches, vendiches
• Pronouns: ti/tu

Specific Regional Linguistic Variations

Finisterra Area Linguistics

• Total Seseo (e.g., in words like desde, facer)
• Cheísmo (use of 'che' where standard uses 'te' or 'lle') with article el/l'
• Northern sub-areas (Xallas, Barbanza):
  • Particular lexicon: e.g., veciu/vecia (neighbor)
  • Lexical item: golpe (fox/wolf, local term)
• Diphthongs/Hiatus: Presence of 'ui', 'hi' sequences
• Verb forms (1st person singular preterite): e.g., collín, deixei, partín

Mindoniense Area Linguistics

• Verb forms (1st person plural present/imperfect): e.g., cantemos, collemos
• Plural forms: e.g., animales, papeles (showing specific phonetic outcomes)

Asturian Border Area Linguistics

• Article usage: el/l'
• Lexical item: veciu/vecia

Pontevedra Area Linguistics

• Seseo (coastal areas) / No Seseo (inland areas)
• Miño Subarea:
  • Lexical items: e.g., colher (spoon), cans turcos (local term), vecia, úa (one, feminine)
• Diphthongs: -ui-, -oi-, -ou- (e.g., in words for 'dogs', 'neighboring ones')
• Closed vowels
• Gheada
• Lexical examples: quero (I want), neve (snow), muller (woman)
• Demonstratives: e.g., este, ese, aquel (or local variants)
• Baixo Miño Micro-subarea:
  • Verbal endings (2nd person plural): e.g., cantades/cantais
  • Pronoun: tu
  • Nontheism (specific linguistic feature)

Lucus-Auriense Area Linguistics (Lugo-Ourense)

• Demonstratives: e.g., este, ise, aquel
• Phonetic feature: IL sequence resulting in nasal vowels or similar outcome
• Gheada

Ancaresa Area Linguistics

• Presence of úa (e.g., as numeral 'one' feminine, or specific diphthong)

Zamorano Border Area Linguistics

• Lexical item: bird (or local equivalent, e.g., paxaro with specific pronunciation)
• Verb forms (1st person singular preterite): e.g., collí, partí
• Nontheism (specific linguistic feature)