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Title:
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Problems of Semantic Reconstruction (Etymological and Semantic Typological Investigation in the Bulgarian Body-part Terminology)
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Author:
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Jivka St. Koleva-Zlateva
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Email:
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Degree Awarded:
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Veliko Tarnovo University
, Philological Faculty
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Degree Date:
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1997
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Linguistic Subfield(s):
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Semantics
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Subject Language(s):
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Bulgarian
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Director(s):
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Abstract:
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The dissertation aims to contribute to the theory and methodology of semantic reconstruction, which is the weak side in the etymology. There are deduced the following theoretical and methodological points, which summarize the achievements of the theoretical mind in this field. The theoretical basis of the semantic reconstruction has to be the conception that every semantic change is subordinated to the more general or particular regularities, concerning both the reasons and mechanisms of the semantic change and the matter of the changes. Etymological analysis needs both the comparative method concerning linguistic form (admitting irregularities too, which depends on frequency, on expressive or onomatopoeic nature of the words) and the method of semantic typology, which has to find the regularities in the semantic evolution and apply them to research. The regularities of semantic evolution can be found in the fields of associating linguistic synchrony with diachrony, individual with social facts in language, in the diachronic interpretation of linguistic spatial continuity. The reconstruction of group of words: such from one lexical field, synonyms, antonyms, etc. is discussed as an objective criterion.Semantic reconstruction needs semasiological and onomasiological approaches to the lexical meaning.The dissertation deals with the problem of the cognitive approach to the semantic reconstruction too and discusses the possibility of giving an account of the universals of lexical fields and language acquisition as objective criteria. It is based on the conception that universal things in the language are more perceptually salient and therefore cognitively simpler and that the order of the acquisition of the concepts shows their cognitive complication too. This approach is very important in the reconstruction of archaic words or of the words designating perceptually salient objects.
These theoretical formulations are applied in etymological research of body-part terminology. The universals of body-part terminology, drawn by E. Andersen [Andersen 1978], are taken into account. Thus for example, has been proved that the meaning hand of baltoslavonic term *ranka does not originate from meaning seizer. This is the judgement of many etymologists, which is determined by taking into consideration the Lithuanian verb rinkti to gather, seize. The connection between meanings to seize and hand would have to go through the meaning quantity contained in a hand; handful.
Inductively, analyzing nondeetimologized terms, it is found out that there is an interdependence between the place of the word in the lexical field and its motivating signs. Thus, the well-known point of view that in the terminologization the motivating sign is accidental is disputed.
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