The meaning of linguistic items, especially words, is constantly varying and changing. For example, the word lockdown has been and is used to refer to varying types of measurements of confinement, isolation, containment or restricted access, in varying situations and imposed by various agents. In this class, we will explore how we can theoretically model and empirically describe the variation and change of meaning, focusing on the meaning of words, but potentially extending it to larger units.
We will start by establishing a theoretical basis, looking at various theories of lexical meaning and meaning variation. After that, we will explore potential topics, research questions, and methods of data collection and analysis on the basis of existing studies. These will form the basis for your own research project, which you will work on in the final part of the semester and for which I will guide you through the steps of the research process (finding a topic and research question, collecting and analysing data, interpreting and presenting results).
- Dozent/in: Berit Johannsen