Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies – Linguistics, grade: 2, 7, University of Bayreuth, language: English, abstract: This manuscript examines the semantic change in the English language during the Early Modern English (EME) period. It highlights how the meanings of words have changed over time and what social, historical, and psychological factors influenced these changes. The focus is on the various types of semantic change, such as narrowing, broadening, amelioration, and pejoration of meaning. Additionally, the role of Latin during the EME period, as well as the standardization of the English language and the Great Vowel Shift, are discussed. In the final part of the manuscript, a detailed analysis of Sir Thomas Malory’s *Le Morte d’Arthur* is conducted to illustrate specific examples of semantic changes through literary texts.
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