WEB-ресурс научно-практических конференций

Stratiichuk L.V., Sapozhnyk I.V., PhD

SEMANTIC CHANGES IN ENGLISH COMMERCIAL LAW TERMINOLOGY

Terminological vocabulary takes a leading place in dictionary composition of any developed literary language. Continuously filled up by new units, it makes that part of vocabulary, the development of which takes a place most intensively. Without the study of composition of terminological vocabulary and changes in it, it is impossibleto understand the conformities correctly due to the law of development of the system of language on the whole, as terminology is one of subsystems of language.Formation and development of terminology, semantic structure of terms are in the spotlight of specialists in many spheres of knowledge. Every science aimsto put terminology which it uses in an order, and to attain maximal exactness and brevity of every term. Terminology is fully , naturallyandconstantlyunder the influence of and can not be deprived of this process, especially in the period of formation of properties, inherent to the language word-stock. This paper is dedicated to the issues of the research of semantic changes in commercial law terminology. It has been attempted tocomprehensively analyze the commercial terms in modern English and trace the semantic changes which have occurred in the course of time. Study of the transfer of meaning is currently gaining more importance as the knowledge of latter helps one to understand the semantic structure of English words at the present stage of their development. The constant development of industry, agriculture, trade and trans­port bring into being new objects and new notions, which are constantly being under the view of linguists.

In diachronic (or historical) linguistics, semantic change is a change in one of the meanings of a word. Every word has a variety of senses and connotations which can be added, removed, or altered over time, often to the extent that cognates across space and time have very different meanings. Klepa rski defined semantic change as one of three major processes to find a designation for a concept. The study of semantic change can be seen as part of etymology, onomasiology, semasiology and semantics. [3; p. 8].

The meaning of a word can change in the course of time. Changes of lexical meanings can be proved by comparing contexts of different times. Transfer of the meaning is called lexico-semantic word-building. In such cases the outer aspect of a word does not change.

An analysis of commercial law terms in author’s discourse was carried out according to the Bloomfield ’s classification scheme [1]. The material of the novel “The Firm” by J.Grisham served as an example of the author’s discourse within which the research was carried out [2]. The study of commercial law terminology in the given discourse enables us to draw the conclusions about the most frequently occurring types of semantic changes due to which the considerable part of modern commercial law terminology was formed. Among the most frequently used and thus the most prolific way of the lexico-semantical word-building metonymy is to be named in the first turn. 51% of terms of commercial law in author’s discourse were built in this way. Viewed diachronically the words altered their meaning, shifting it on the basis of contiguity between concepts to create terms. e.g. Bank- – банк, фонд, каса – 15th century. Directly or via French banque from Italian banca “bank, bench, table.” The sense bank developed in the source language from the table on which banking was transacted . The second type of semantic change frequently found in the text under analysis is metaphor, which presupposes the meaning being changed on the basis of similarity between the concepts. The share of terms coined in this way equals 17%. e.g. Cancel – погашати – 14th century. Via French canceller from Latin cancellare “to cross out (writing)” (literally “to make like a lattice”), from cancelli “lattice” (source of English chancel ), from cancer “grating, lattice” . Considerable part of the commercial law terms used by the author was created due to the semantic change of innovation and nullification, their share constituted 17% and 6% respectively. e.g. Cheque – чек – Early 18th century. Variant of check, under the influence of exchequer ; 14th century. Via Old French eschec “check in chess,” a warning that an opponent’s king is under attack, from, ultimately, Persian ??h “king”; Economy – ощадливість – 15th century. Via French or Latin from Greek oikonomi? , from oikonomos “steward of a household,” from oikos “house” + nemein “to manage” (source of English antinomian and nomad) . Semantic changes of degeneration and elevation of meaning turned out to be less fruitful in the matter of lexico-semantic word building,equally less frequent were the examples of the semantic changes of the widening of meaning . e.g. Firm – фірма, торговий дім – 14th century. Via Old French from Latin firmus . ( Elevation ). Estate – майно – 13th century. From Old French estat . The underlying meaning is “condition in which somebody lives” . ( Widening of meaning ).

Thus it can be stated that the most commonly seen semantic changes in the fiction discourse are those of metaphor and metonymy. However in all discussion of linguistic metaphor and metonymy it must be borne in mind that they are different from metaphor and metonymy as literary devices. When the latter are offered and accepted both the author and the reader are to a greater or lesser degree aware that this reference is figurative, that the object has another name. The relationship of the direct denotative meaning of the word and the meaning it has in the literary context in question is based on similarity of some features in the objects compared. The metaphoric transfer of meaning is mostly based on the transition from the concrete to the abstract whereas numerous cases of metonymical change are due to the functional changes in the meaning of the word.

However, irrespective of the type of discourse under view we can draw a conclusion that the greater part of the commercial law terminology has been developed through the shift of meaning where the initial meaning of the concept has been altered on the basis of similarity of and contiguity of meanings. The transition of meaning on the latter bases turned out to be the most frequent in the semantic history of the commercial law terminology.

Bibliography

1. Bloomfield, Leonard. Language. Revised from 1914 edition. New York : Holt, 1933. - 564 p .

2. Grisham J. The Firm. – New York : Large Print, 1991. – 112p.

3. Kleparski, Grzegorz . Semantic change and componential analysis. - Regensburg : Pustet, 1986. - 112 p.