On Zoosemy, Foodsemy and Plantosemy: A Cognitive Approach to Selected Terms of Endearment

Abstract

Regardless of time and place people express their emotions in a number of different and – sometimes – strange ways. Endearments originate from our creativity, therefore the number of ways we have of addressing each other in an endearing way seems to be unlimited. We may come across similar or even identical endearments in many languages, but there are a lot of peculiar local- and culture-specific terms. On the one hand, new terms constantly extend the lexicon; on the other, a number of endearments fall into oblivion and become archaisms, because they have undergone the process of meaning amelioration or pejoration. Still, the vast majority of people tend to employ traditional and typical pet names in intimate contexts. In this paper we shall discuss the semantic development of English terms of endearment which are – by and large – employed to woo a partner and we shall focus on the role of the cognitive mechanisms in the changes of their meaning. In particular, we shall concentrate on the importance of such mechanisms as zoosemy, foodsemy and plantosemy.