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Marking-Reversals and Cultural Importance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 March 2026

Stanley R. Witkowski and
Cecil H. Brown
Stanley R. Witkowski
Affiliation:
Northern Illinois University
Cecil H. Brown
Affiliation:
Northern Illinois University
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Abstract

Unmarked terms in the lexicon, compared to marked ones, are typically more frequent in use, less complex in form, and acquired earlier by children learning a language. Terms which are unmarked in single languages are often unmarked in all languages; however, marking is not always invariable across languages, or through time within individual languages. The present work focuses on variation in cultural importance as a factor which influences marking. As the importance of a referent changes within a speech community, the marking value of its label alters, often resulting in lexical change. Introductions of previously unknown referents in culture contact situations—e.g. domestic plants and animals—frequently have led to shifts in cultural importance. Such examples illustrate how cultural factors, by influencing the assignment of marking, often play an important role in lexical change.

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Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 59 , Issue 3 , September 1983, pp. 569 - 582
Copyright
Copyright © 1983 by Linguistic Society of America

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