Prace komisji nauk.pdf - Instytut Filologii Angielskiej Uniwersytetu ...

Polysemy should be distinguished from homonymy. In the case of
homonymy there is a clear difference between the meanings at issue; in the case
of polysemy the various meanings are connected with each other. The meanings
being connected is also the condition for using an already existing word for a
new referent. The hearer should be able to follow the semantic jumps of the
speaker. Therefore, polysemy is an example of the economic principle but the
application of this principle is restricted by the need to be understood. The
principle of communication prevails.
Economy can also be a factor in phonological change. This must also be
considered a change in human behaviour. Human beings can, slightly at first,
change their habits for one reason or another. Compare how we gradually
change our way of writing the letters of the alphabet. This also holds for habits
of pronunciation. Phonological change is a very complicated subject to explain
but partly this kind of change can be explained by what is called ease of
articulation. An English example is the word empty. The Old English form of
this word is æmtig. Between m and t a so-called transitional (epenthetic)
consonant developed: p. A succession of m and t is difficult to pronounce: the m
is voiced, the t is voiceless. Moreover, the m is a labial, the t is an alveolar (or
dental). To make the succession easier a p is produced: it is articulated by means
of the lips like m, and it is voiceless like t. cf. scheme 2:
Scheme 2: æmtig > empty
m p t
+voice -voice -voice
+labial +labial -labial (+alveolar)
There is a gradual transition from one sound to another. Perhaps, the p was not a
substantial but a cursory p. However, children acquiring their language heard
and learned a real p. Here we touch upon the role of children in language
change, to which we will return later in this article .
17