Narrowing (specializa­tion)

Narrowing (specializa­tion)

A lexeme be­comes more specialized in meaning: 'Room' originally meant 'any space', now it has specialized only to a particular space; 'meat'- food and drink in general; 'bread' - a small piece of anything; 'fruit' - product or something enjoyed; 'wife' - woman; 'worm' - any kind of reptile or insect; 'garage' - any safe place; 'grocer' - a wholesale dealer; 'engine' - anything used to do something; Extension (generaliza­tion) - A lexeme wid­ens its mean­ing: 'Salon' meant aristocratic social interac­tion, now it means more like in 'cosmetics salon, hairdressing salon, beauty salon; 'manuscript' meant something handwritten; 'picture' - something painted; 'foreigner' - one who lives out of doors; 'pipe' - a simple musical instrument; 'ready' - prepared for a ride; 'to fly" - to move by wings as a bird. Amelioration (elevation) - a lexeme develops a positive meaning (approval): nice - earlier meant foolish or simple; fame - rumour; splendid - bright; knight - a boy. Pejoration (degradation) - a lexeme develops a negative meaning (disapproval): sly - earlier meant wise; vulgar - common, ordinary; gossip - a god parent; silly - happy; insane - not well; idiot - a private person; clown - a farmer.