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in the case of the verb to glide (OE. glidan) which had the meaning
‘to move gently and smoothly’ and has now acquired a restricted
and specialised meaning ‘to fly with no engine’ (cf. a glider).
Changes in the denotational meaning may also result in the
application of the word to a wider variety of referents. This is
commonly described as extension of meaning and may be
illustrated by the word target which originally meant ‘a small
round shield’ (a diminutive of targe, сf. ON. targa) but now means
‘anything that is fired at’ and also figuratively ‘any result aimed
at’.
If the word with the extended meaning passes from the
specialised vocabulary into common use, we describe the result of
the semantic change as the generalisation of meaning. The word
camp, e.g., which originally was used only as a military term and
meant ‘the place where troops are lodged in tents’ (cf. L. campus
— ‘exercising ground for the army) extended and generalised its
meaning and now denotes ‘temporary quarters’ (of travellers,
nomads, etc.).
As can be seen from the examples discussed above it is
mainly the denotational component of the lexical meaning that is
affected while the connotational component remains unaltered.
There are other cases, however, when the changes in the
connotational meaning come to the fore. These changes, as a rule
accompanied by a change in the denotational’ component, may be
subdivided into two main groups: a) pejorative development or the
acquisition by the word of some derogatory emotive charge, and b)
ameliorative development or the improvement of the connotational
component of meaning. The semantic change in the word boor
may serve to illustrate the first group. This word was originally
used to denote ‘a villager, a peasant’ (cf. OE. zebur ‘dweller’) and
then acquired a derogatory, contemptuous connotational meaning
and came to denote ‘a clumsy or ill-bred fellow’. The ameliorative
development of the connotational meaning may be observed in the
change of the semantic structure of the word minister which in one

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