In Search of Metonymic Motivation for Semantic Change: The Case of Words with Remarkable Origins
In Search of Metonymic Motivation for Semantic Change: The Case of Words with Remarkable Origins

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper is to account for the semantics of selected terms of Germanic, Romance and Arabic origin with surprising origins, referred to by the editors of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as the “top ten words with remarkable origins”, which initially referred to objects, animals, places and later started to be employed figuratively in various human- and nonhuman-related contexts. The theoretical framework adopted in the research embraces such tools offered by Cognitive Linguistics as conceptual metaphor and metonymy. The paper attempts to explain the conceptual motivation behind the semantics of the targeted terms and the results of the research conducted may be said to corroborate not only the conceptual nature of metaphors/metonymies as such but also their impact on social cognition.

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