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The lexicon of a language is, of course, a dynamic and constantly changing
complex structure where new words emerge, old words disappear or change in one
or another way. Lexical-typological research has, thus, both
synchronic
and
diachronic
dimensions.
Historically oriented lexical typology
studies semantic
change, grammaticalization and lexicalization processes as examples of diachronic
processes showing cross-linguistically recurrent patterns.
The lexicons of most languages show different layers of origin with many
words coming from “outside” – as direct loans, loan translations, etc. A
particularly interesting aspect of historical lexical typology is the search for cross-
linguistically recurrent patterns in contactinduced lexicalization and lexical change,
e.g., differences in borrowability among the different parts of the lexicon and the
corresponding processes in the integration of new words, or patterns of lexical
acculturation (i.e., how lexica adjust to new objects and concepts).
Lexical-typological research can also be more
local
, e.g., restricted to a
particular lexical field, a particular derivational process, a particular polysemy
pattern, or more
general
, with the aim of uncovering patterns in the structuring of
the lexicon that is supposed to have a bearing on many essential properties of the
language. The latter includes various approaches to the issues of “basic” vs. non-
basic vocabulary, or suggestions as to how to characterize, compare and measure
the lexical-typological profiles of different languages. In fact, some people prefer
using the term “typological” (e.g., typological properties) for referring to what is
considered as the more essential, central, or general properties of a language. In
this understanding, a large portion of cross-linguistic research on words and
vocabularies will not count as typological (this applies, among others, to what is
called “local” lexical-typological research immediately above).
Lexical typology consists of following branches:
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