Metaphor and Semantic Networks

Abstract

A central issue involved in ongoing diachronic networking systems will be discussed here: the feature of regularity with regard to semantic fields and polysemy. Recent research into semantic change has shown that the implication of metaphorisation in diachronic conceptual and meaning changes tends to follow regular patterns. One aspect of this research suggests that recurrent meaning extension is a common feature in the history of languages. It is likely that certain kinds of meaning extension are more frequent, more typical and more natural than others (Taylor, 1989: 121). In Chapter 1 we have seen that metaphor extension in phraseological units is a common feature in modern English. If we go back into three different periods of English such as Old English, Middle English and Early Modern English, they all show examples of this feature (Naciscione, 2004).