This talk explores how the semantic architecture of English operates at both historical and discourse levels. Using the Historical Thesaurus of English database - a comprehensive record of English vocabulary from early medieval times to the present - the talk examines how meaning is built and rebuilt across time. The research reveals two complementary patterns: long-term semantic change visible through 'trauma zones' of rapid vocabulary growth, and the foundational semantic categories that structure English discourse itself.

Within this, English broadly divides into two groups of semantic content: those domains that show dramatic historical changes in response to social and cultural transformations, and those domains which semantically structure English text (beyond grammatical terms). By examining both historical change and present-day usage in Parliamentary debates, this research aims to offer insights into how English adapts to express new meanings while maintaining consistent patterns of discourse organisation. The talk will demonstrate how understanding these dual aspects of semantic structure – historical development and discourse scaffolding – gives us more tools to examine meaning and content in the English language.

Professor Marc Alexander (Glasgow): www.gla.ac.uk/schools/critical/staff/marcalexander/