szótváltozás

Szótváltozás, often translated as "word change" or "lexical change," refers to the alteration of a word's meaning over time. This phenomenon is a natural and ongoing process in language evolution. Changes can occur in several ways, including broadening, narrowing, pejoration, and amelioration.

Broadening of meaning, also known as generalization, happens when a word's meaning expands to encompass a wider range of concepts than it originally did. For example, the word "holiday" originally meant "holy day," but now refers to any day of rest or celebration. Narrowing, or specialization, is the opposite, where a word's meaning becomes more restricted. The word "meat" once referred to any type of food, but now specifically denotes animal flesh.

Pejoration is the process by which a word acquires a more negative connotation. For instance, "villain" originally meant a peasant or serf but now signifies an evil person. Conversely, amelioration is when a word's meaning gains a more positive or elevated status. The word "knight" once meant a boy or servant but now denotes a noble warrior.

Szótváltozás can be driven by various factors, including cultural shifts, technological advancements, social attitudes, and the need for new terminology. Understanding these changes helps linguists and language learners grasp the historical development of words and their nuances.