Investigating polysemy Gender effects on love
Author
Summary, in English
Polysemy, the study of multiple meanings of a lexeme, is part of the
field of Lexical Semantics and has been preoccupying linguists for a
very long time. Among the first methods of investigation were
categorization (Lakoff 1987), and the study of dictionaries in hopes
of finding semantic variation in polysemous lexemes (Fillmore and
Atkins 1992). In present time however, due to new technology, more
innovative, computational methods of investigation are used (Wullf
2007, Glynn 2010).
This study’s focus is on the gender variation in usage of the lexeme
love, which makes this a study on polysemy and sociolinguistics,
to quote Glynn (2010), “variation in social strata, gender, ethnicity,
age, and dialect directly influences the use of language”.
field of Lexical Semantics and has been preoccupying linguists for a
very long time. Among the first methods of investigation were
categorization (Lakoff 1987), and the study of dictionaries in hopes
of finding semantic variation in polysemous lexemes (Fillmore and
Atkins 1992). In present time however, due to new technology, more
innovative, computational methods of investigation are used (Wullf
2007, Glynn 2010).
This study’s focus is on the gender variation in usage of the lexeme
love, which makes this a study on polysemy and sociolinguistics,
to quote Glynn (2010), “variation in social strata, gender, ethnicity,
age, and dialect directly influences the use of language”.
Department/s
Publishing year
2011
Language
English
Full text
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Document type
Student publication for Bachelor's degree
Topic
- Languages and Literatures
Supervisor
- Dylan Glynn