Distributional changes in synonym sets: the case of fragrant, scented, and perfumed in 19th- and 20th-century American English
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2022
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John Benjamins Publishing Company
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Pettersson-Traba, Daniela. 2022. Distributional changes in synonym sets: The case of fragrant, scented, and perfumed in 19th- and 20th-century American English. In English Historical Linguistics: Historical English in Contact, ed. by Bettelou Los, Chris Cummins, Lisa Gotthard, Alpo Honkapohja & Benjamin Molineaux. (Current Issues in Linguistic Theory, vol. 359). Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 119- 142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.359.07pet
Pettersson-Traba, Daniela. "Chapter 7. Distributional changes in synonym sets: The case of fragrant, scented , and perfumed in 19th- and 20th-century American English". English Historical Linguistics: Historical English in contact. Papers from the XXth ICEHL, edited by Bettelou Los, Chris Cummins, Lisa Gotthard, Alpo Honkapohja and Benjamin Molineaux, John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2022, pp. 119-142. https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.359.07pet
Pettersson-Traba, Daniela. "Chapter 7. Distributional changes in synonym sets: The case of fragrant, scented , and perfumed in 19th- and 20th-century American English". English Historical Linguistics: Historical English in contact. Papers from the XXth ICEHL, edited by Bettelou Los, Chris Cummins, Lisa Gotthard, Alpo Honkapohja and Benjamin Molineaux, John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2022, pp. 119-142. https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.359.07pet
Abstract
This chapter analyzes the diachronic development in 19th- and 20th-century American English of the synonyms fragrant, perfumed, and scented, which denote the concept sweet-smelling. Their distributional patterns are examined by means of conditional inference trees and collocational networks in order to (1) uncover distinctions in meaning between the synonyms and (2) determine the changes that the concept sweet-smelling has experienced and their effect on the relationship between the synonyms. Results indicate a significant split between entities denoting natural and artificial smells, associated with fragrant and perfumed, respectively. In turn, scented is common in both senses. Moreover, a significant increase of scented at the expense of fragrant and perfumed emerges over time, a fact which can be accounted for in terms of processes of attraction, differentiation, and ongoing replacement.