Major Concepts: Lessons XV-XVII

1. Major Concepts: Lessons XV-XVII Change from Abstract to Concrete, Hyperbole, New Noun-Forming Suffixes, Conceptual Change, Diminutives

2. Change from Abstract to Concreteand vice versa • Metonymy is a major factor in the shift from concrete to abstract. • So is metaphor. • Functional extension is major factor in the shift from abstract to concrete. • But sometimes a word’s meaning can become concrete while it retains its original functional category.

3. Examples Involving Metonymy Please keep your mouth shut about it. I can’t stomach another movie like that. I stuck my head in. He has a wandering eye. What does your heart say? They’re rednecks. He drinks.

4. Examples Involving Metaphor Do you follow me? Her visit was short. He exploded. I’m not wedded to that idea. The stock price rose last week. New ideas are taking root. He’s a snake. Let’s stay on the topic. I can’t believe I was so blind.

5. Functional Extension often Accompanies the Shift from Abstract to Concrete She took a call. She took a wrong turn. Give me a yell. The judge ruled against us. The jury deliberated. They sang a verse. It’s a play in several acts. She’s an agnostic. Several juveniles were arrested. This was difficult case.

6. But a Word can become Concrete while Retaining its Original Functional Category Our testimony put those crooks away. Gravity causes objects to fall. We saw an old Civil War monument. The jury deliberated. That’s an interesting specimen. She asked a question. They held an election. She reads fiction to relax.

7. Hyperbole • A Greek etymology: hyper ‘over-extended’ + bole ‘toss’ • Exaggeration for effect leads to semantic weakening. • Examples: awful, awesome, excellent, terrible, terrific, gigantic, insane, crazy, wonderful, infinite, starving, a baby, colossal, kill.

8. A Few New Noun-Forming Suffixes • -ion ‘act of, state of, result of’ completion, prevention, excision • -ment ‘result o, means of, act of, state of’ ligament, monument, predicament, regiment • -men ‘result of, means of, act of, state of’ specimen, acumen, regimen

9. Meaning Change from Conceptual Change • Sometimes a word lives on even when the concepts around it have changed: birth mother, acoustic guitar, analog watch, hard copy, snail mail. • Greek cosmology • Medieval theories of bodily humors • Astrology • Roman politics

10. Greek Cosmology • The Greeks believed that the world was composed of 4 substances: air, fire, water and earth. • Aristotle postulated a fifth element: a highly concentrated substance comprising the heavenly bodies. • This concept gives rise to the word quintessential.

11. Ancient and Medieval Theories of Human Dispositions and Emotions • These theories were based upon bodily humors. • When one humor predominated, the person took on the characteristics of that humor: sanguine, melancholy, choleric, phlegmatic, humorous. • Many terms refer to mixture: temper, temperament, distemper, idiosyncrasy, complexion.

12. Ancient Astrology • Heavenly bodies are thought to influence human behavior and outcomes: lunatic, somber, influenza, disaster. • It is also believed that the planet under which one is born influences one’s future personality, hence: jovial, saturnine, mercurial.

13. Roman Political Life • senate (SEN) • ambition (AMBI + IT) • candidate (CANDID) • censor (CENS) • suffrage (SUB + FRAG) • pontiff (PONT + FAC) • forum (FOR ‘door’)

14. Diminutives • All languages have ways of ‘minimizing’ concepts by means of a set of forms called diminutives. • Suffixes: kitchenette, booklet, starlet, mannequin, duckling, gosling, doggie, kitty, Johnny, alrighty, sweetie, cutie. • Reduplication: John John, bye bye, papa, mama.

15. Diminutives from Latin • Latin has a set of diminutive suffixes that come into English: • -(i)c(u)le: molecule, muscle, particle, ventricle, minuscule, ridicule, follicle • -el: novel, morsel, panel • -il: pupil, codicil, fossil • -(o)le, -(u)le: scrupulous, formula, calculus, gladiolus, globule, circular.