Most of us use words without thinking very much about how they originated or developed their meanings. But there are surprising “biographies” hidden among our everyday vocabulary. Linguist Linda Coleman explores how words are constructed in English, the roots of our vocabulary, how meaning is created, and how our institutions, including dictionaries, affect our view of words.
9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Word and Phrase Origins
Ways in which words and lexical phrases are constructed, including ways in which new words are created. How we can determine what a word can mean, and how do many words develop multiple meanings?
11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Word Biographies and the Evolution of Meaning
Many of the words we use have fascinating histories, showing startling changes in meaning and usage.
12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Lunch (participants provide their own)
1:30 to 2:45 p.m. Extended Meanings: Slang, Jargon, and Metaphor
The variety of informal and specialized dialect in English, including words used in slang, the development of technical jargons, and metaphorical uses of words, including cases in which slang terms become standard and where jargon terms enter common usage. How metaphorical connections are often at the core of new word inventions or meaning changes and often contribute to slang formation. How makers of dictionaries decide what words to include.
3 to 4:15 p.m. Special Uses of Language
How understanding word meaning is essential of the kind of persuasion we see in politics and advertising and to the necessarily metaphorical way we talk about the divine. An examination of specialized uses of words and phrases in the contexts of politics, religions, and advertising reveals how word meanings change and accommodate new or special types of communication.
Coleman is an instructor and associate professor of English at the University of Maryland, College Park.
