Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
#179664 10/18/08 02:11 AM
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 390
L
enthusiast
OP Offline
enthusiast
L
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 390
i have to say this is not a political post. i am not a us citizen and do not live there and do not really care who wins the election there.

my question is about whether there is a name for a process of evolution in meaning and usage. i have seen the phrase "MSM" used a lot in various comments at blogs all over the net and the first time i saw this initialism it took me a few minutes to parse it as "mainstream media". the phrase now does not mean "mainstream" in the OED sense of "the prevailing trend of opinion, fashion, society" or "belonging to or characteristic of an established tradition, field of activity, etc.; conventional" but is now pejorative meaning "media whose views are not the same as mine". ive seen it used by large organisations like FoxNews and the Washington Times in this sense, both excluding themselves from the definition. ive also seen it used liberally by individuals posting comments to blogs. supporters of both parties have used "MSM" to describe media that they think is biased against their candidate.

i guess the path "MSM" is taking is similar to that of "reactionary" but its interesting that unlike words like 'conservative' which are only used pejoratively by one side of a political argument, "MSM" is now firmly pejorative for both sides. Does this sort of meaning or usage shift have a name, and is there any sense of how long a particular usage has to be around before it becomes a recognized norm say in a dictionary?

Last edited by latishya; 10/18/08 02:27 AM.
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
Semantic Shift

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Semantic Shift

It is also called semantic change. This article lists some of the different types of semantic change (link). It is a rather common occurrence in languages in general and has been studied by linguists for almost two centuries.

MSM seems to be used by both wings of the blogosphere in discussions of biases in the media. Other terms are liberal media and so-called liberal media used by the right and left respectively. In the days of yore, folks discussed the Fourth Estate (link).


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Semantic shift and semantic change don't describe the specific kind of shift where a term has become pejorative to everybody using the term.

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
[It] don't describe the specific kind of shift where a term has become pejorative to everybody using the term.

If a majority of folks is using the phrase with a new meaning, rather than the older one, that seems like a classic case of semantic change to me.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 390
L
enthusiast
OP Offline
enthusiast
L
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 390
thanks everyone. I guess its semantic shift because thats easier to say than semantic change.

Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
latishya, sounds like you're becoming a semasiologist! :-)

Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
 Originally Posted By: Faldage
Semantic shift and semantic change don't describe the specific kind of shift where a term has become pejorative to everybody using the term.

That would be at the very least a subset of Semantic Shift/Change.

Whether there is a more specific term I don't know, but I can't think of one offhand. Pejorativisation?

Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
 Originally Posted By: zmjezhd
[It] don't describe the specific kind of shift where a term has become pejorative to everybody using the term.

If a majority of folks is using the phrase with a new meaning, rather than the older one, that seems like a classic case of semantic change to me.


I think I worded my response badly. I didn't mean to suggest that it was not an example of semantic change or semantic shift, merely that caling it semantic change or shift does not differentiate it from more benign examples of semantic change.


Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 442 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5