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June 10, 2026Journal of Historical LinguisticsOpen Access

When does semantic change lead to semantic loss?

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Authors

HCHilke CeuppensHSHendrik De Smet

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Overview

This article investigates how semantic changes influence the likelihood of semantic loss in language.

Key Points

  • The research aims to understand when semantic change leads to semantic loss, focusing on the mechanisms involved.
  • Analyzed corpus-based case studies of English adjectives including bright, dumb, narrow, and strange.
  • Investigated the mechanisms of semantic extension and loss, particularly through metonymy and metaphor.
  • Semantic loss is more likely to occur after inference-driven metonymy than after metaphorical extension.
  • Metaphorically related senses are contextually distinct, supporting the retention of multiple meanings (polysemy).
  • Inference-driven extensions represent overlapping contexts, increasing the risk of losing the original meaning.

Cite This Study

Ceuppens et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a28ff6a6f82f25be989c4b7https://doi.org/10.1075/jhl.24047.ceu
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