author(s):	Regine Eckardt
affiliation:	Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Berlin
title:	Virtual Signs. The emergence of new meanings by reanalysis
time and place:	Saturday, 14.00, room C In the thematic session on Evolution and Change
abstract:	I argue that semantic reanalysis is a process of algebraic equation solving that can best be understood in terms of truth conditional semantics. The change itself occurs in a single step, and rests on concise lexical entries for items before and after change. The phases of gradual meaning shifts that were diagnosed in historical texts are the result of pragmatic inferencing on the basis of the older meanings, a commonly accepted preparatory stage for reanalysis. I will demonstrate that the resulting view can capture the historical data in a more satisfying manner than earlier accounts, specifically those that operate, implicitely or explicitely, on basis of a componential analysis of meaning. Finally, I will suggest applications of pragmatic OT to explain the onset of meaning change by reanalysis.